THE BEAK. 31 



so that the bird can use it as a sort of spoon, dipping it 

 into the water, and thus scooping up small fishes, or other 

 light floating particles, on which it feeds. How different in 

 its form is the beak of this bird from those of the Swallow 

 and Goat- sucker tribe, which, feeding on the wing, adopt a 

 somewhat similar course in catching the various flying in- 

 sects on which they live. In their case the beak is short, 

 and so weak as to be almost soft, but of vast width, pro- 

 portioned to the size of the body. This may be easily seen 

 in the common House Swallow, but more particularly in the 

 Swift, or large Black Swallow, and Goat-sucker, whose 

 heads may be said to be almost all composed of mouth, so 

 wide and gaping are their large short beaks ; consequently 

 when the supply of insects is abundant, they have little 

 more to do than fly with open mouth, and close their beaks 

 upon the objects which cross their flight. This the 

 Swallow does with a sharp clicking jerk, which may be heard 

 by an attentive listener on a calm day, at a considerable 

 distance. 



In the Toucan, the beak forms a most prominent and 

 unsightly feature, being quite a deformity in that other- 

 wise beautiful and graceful bird ;* and were it as heavy 

 in proportion as the bills of other birds, it might prove 

 a very serious weight, and materially impede its flight, 

 if not quite weigh it down to the ground. It is, however, 

 so remarkably light and hollow, as to be no inconvenience 

 whatever, so that the bird can fly with such swiftness and 

 certainty as to catch grapes and other fruit thrown to 

 it before they fall to the ground. In its operation, too, it 

 differs from those of other birds ; seizing and acting upon 

 the substances within its grasp, by a lateral or side-way 

 rather than up and down or perpendicular motion. But 

 they do not always confine themselves to fruits, their beaks 

 being equally calculated by their muscular strength for 

 crushing the bones of small birds; and in their native 

 forests they are seen perched on high trees, watching the 



* See p. 36. 



