270 GRALL^E. SCOLOPACID^E. 



sents numerous elongated, hexagonal cells, which 

 afford at the same time protection, and space for 

 the expansion of minute portions of nerves sup- 

 plied to them by two branches of the fifth pair ; 

 and the end of the bill becomes, in consequence 

 of this provision, a delicate organ of touch, to 

 assist these birds when boring for their food in 

 soft ground ; this enlarged extremity of the beak 

 possessing such a degree of sensibility as to enable 

 these birds to detect their prey the instant it 

 comes in contact with it, although placed beyond 

 the reach of sight." * 



The mode of feeding, in which this well-endowed 

 organ comes into requisition, is not a little sin- 

 gular. A writer in the " Magazine of Natural 

 History" thus describes it, as observed by him- 

 self with a powerful telescope : "I distinctly saw 

 them pushing their bills into the thin mud, by 

 repeated thrusts, quite up to the base, drawing 

 them back with great quickness, and every now 

 and then shifting their ground a little." And we 

 have ourselves seen a closely-allied species feed- 

 ing at less than half a stone's cast distance, wading 

 in water that reached just above the tarsal joint. 

 At this depth the beak could just touch the bot- 

 tom, and thus it walked deliberately about, mo- 

 mentarily feeling the mud with its sensitive beak- 

 tip, striking with short perpendicular strokes, 

 without withdrawing the beak from the water. 

 The action of swallowing, now and then, was dis- 

 tinctly perceived. We observed that when thus 

 occupied, the faculties were so absorbed that the 

 bird appeared unconscious of danger, nor could it 

 be roused, though so near, without repeated shouts. 



* Brit. Birds, iii. 29. 



