﻿58 



Bird- Lore 



When swimming, these birds not only use the flat side of the leg as a 

 cut -water; but their toes curl and uncurl with a slight oblique revolving 

 motion, like the blades of a propeller. When drawn forward through the 



water they are rolled up into very small 

 compass, and then instantly spread out as 

 widely as possible on the return stroke. 

 To the eye it seems as if this bird was 

 constantly grasping something tangible in 

 the water and thrusting it behind. 



For many reasons the most interesting 

 of all birds' feet are those of the Ostriches 

 and their allies. 



When one trains in college for a long- 

 distance race, the first rule to observe is, — 

 run wholly on the ball of the foot, never 

 touch your heels to the ground. Untold 

 centuries ago, wise old Nature whispered 

 the very same direction to those of her 

 children who had the most need to run for 

 their lives in life's great race, and down 

 through the ages some of them have never 

 broken training. Hence, when an animal 

 acquires great speed in running or leaping, 

 there is a tendency for one toe to become greatly enlarged at the expense 

 of the others, as is seen in the case of the horse, the kangaroo and the 

 Ostrich. 



In the horse only the middle toe is functional, the second and fourth 

 having degenerated into the small splint 

 bones at the side of the leg. The kangaroo 

 progresses on the fourth and fifth toes, the 

 second and third being small and skin- 

 bound. The Ostrich has but two toes, one 

 of which, the third, as in the case of the 

 horse, is very large and armed with a thick 

 claw, which grows close to the toe. This 

 toe supports most of the bird's weight, 

 while the fourth, or outer toe, is only one- 

 quarter as large, and, indeed, it bids fair to 

 disappear altogether in the course of time; 

 even now the diminutive nail (when it is pres- 

 ent) is only as large as the claw of a chicken. 



The power of the Ostrich to defend FEET OF black-footed penguin. 

 itself by kicking is well known, but the claw FR0M LIFE 



FOOT OF BROWN PELICAN 



