﻿364 
  Mechanism 
  of 
  the 
  Bill 
  in 
  Birds. 
  

  

  At 
  first 
  sight, 
  perhaps, 
  the 
  reasons 
  for 
  this 
  interesting 
  

   arrangement 
  may 
  seem 
  rather 
  obscure, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  struck 
  me 
  

   that 
  really 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  importance 
  to 
  birds 
  which 
  gain 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  by 
  probing 
  in 
  soft 
  mud. 
  I 
  

   imagine 
  that 
  the 
  beak 
  is 
  thrust 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  soil 
  closed, 
  and 
  

   that, 
  in 
  all 
  probability, 
  unless 
  some 
  special 
  provision 
  were 
  

   made, 
  the 
  slender 
  bill 
  would 
  be 
  powerless 
  to 
  force 
  away 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  earth 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  enable 
  it 
  to 
  grasp 
  the 
  food 
  

   it 
  was 
  in 
  search 
  of. 
  Whether 
  or 
  not 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  correct 
  

   explanation 
  is 
  a 
  subject 
  for 
  further 
  observation. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  know 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  freshly- 
  

   killed 
  bird, 
  or 
  one 
  preserved 
  in 
  spirit, 
  be 
  gently 
  squeezed 
  in 
  

   the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  mandible, 
  the 
  movements 
  

   described 
  will 
  be 
  set 
  up. 
  

  

  I 
  hope 
  to 
  be 
  enabled 
  to 
  extend 
  my 
  observations 
  to 
  the 
  

   other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  ScolopacidjB, 
  amongst 
  which 
  I 
  expect 
  

   to 
  find 
  some 
  noteworthy 
  modifications 
  of 
  this 
  interesting 
  

   feature 
  ; 
  should 
  anything 
  of 
  sufficient 
  importance 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   covered, 
  I 
  shall 
  be 
  pleased 
  to 
  communicate 
  particulars 
  in 
  

   these 
  pages. 
  Those 
  having 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  Zoological 
  Gardens 
  

   have, 
  I 
  imagine, 
  a 
  splendid 
  opportunity 
  for 
  verifying 
  my 
  

   statements, 
  and 
  1 
  hope 
  this 
  will 
  be 
  done. 
  

  

  In 
  conclusion, 
  let 
  me 
  say 
  that 
  I 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  profess 
  to 
  

   have 
  exhausted 
  the 
  literature 
  of 
  this 
  subject 
  or 
  to 
  have 
  gone 
  

   deeply 
  into 
  the 
  inquiry 
  ; 
  time 
  must 
  show 
  whether 
  it 
  is 
  worth 
  

   further 
  attention. 
  All 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  done 
  now 
  is 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  

   fact 
  under 
  the 
  notice 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  time 
  and 
  oppor- 
  

   tunity, 
  trusting 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  sufficient 
  interest 
  to 
  tempt 
  

   them 
  to 
  add 
  it 
  to 
  their 
  list 
  of 
  things 
  " 
  when 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  

   made 
  a 
  note 
  of." 
  

  

  References. 
  

  

  1. 
  Owen. 
  Anatomy 
  of 
  Vertebrates, 
  ii. 
  p. 
  94 
  (1866). 
  

  

  2. 
  Huxley. 
  Anatomy 
  of 
  Vertebrated 
  Animals, 
  p. 
  246 
  (1871). 
  

  

  3. 
  WiEDEKSHEiii. 
  Elements 
  of 
  Comparative 
  Anatomy 
  (English 
  tran.*- 
  

  

  lation), 
  p. 
  80 
  (1886). 
  

  

  4. 
  Shufeldt. 
  Myology 
  of 
  the 
  Raven, 
  p. 
  19 
  (1890). 
  

  

  5. 
  Gadow. 
  Bronn's 
  Klassen 
  und 
  Orduungen 
  des 
  Thier-Reichs, 
  IV. 
  

  

  Abtheilung, 
  Aves, 
  Theil 
  i. 
  p. 
  323 
  (1886). 
  

  

  6. 
  MiVART. 
  Element.^ 
  of 
  Drnitholngy, 
  p. 
  187 
  (1892). 
  

  

  