84 



FACULTIES OF BIRDS. 



so smooth as the lips, at least to the eye ; the rough- 

 like appearance being occasioned by what we may 

 not inappropriately call the tasters (papillfe), which 

 are of different sorts according to the purpose they 

 are intended to serve. One sort, situated on the 



a, Portion of the upper surface of the Human Tongue, showing the ner- 

 vous Papillae; magnified ll'O times. b, The same in transverse section, 

 showing that each papilla is composed of nerves (white) and arteries 

 (black) ; magnified 100 times. 



upper surface of the tongue, are formed like a cone 

 or sugar-loaf, and very close set like the bristles of a 

 brush. Towards the tip they are more elevated and 

 sharp, and many of them are divided at the summit 

 into bristle-like points ; while towards the sides they 

 become gradually less elevated, till they are reduced 

 to little blunt buttons. The latter are not perhaps so 

 much designed for the purpose of tasting as of farcing 

 the juices out of the substance which is tasted, arid of 

 breaking it down against the roof of the mouth to fit 

 it the better for solution. Among those of this class 

 are distributed others of a larger size, but much less 

 numerous, somewhat in form of a small mushroom 

 placed on a very short footstalk, and easily distin- 

 guishable to the eye by their redness and brilliancy. 



