254 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



In order that it may swim well, therefore, the duck has broad, 

 webbed feet, which make very useful oars; a body balanced just 

 like a boat; and a thick warm coat of feathers, which keeps the 

 water from contact with its body. 



But there is still its beak to which we must pay attention. The 

 duck feeds chiefly on worms and other small creatures which it 

 finds in the mud. It gathers up this mud, and presses its beak 

 very closely together. The result is that all the mud is squeezed 

 out of groove-like holes along the sides of the beak, while worms 

 and other creatures are left behind to be swallowed. The beak is a 

 kind of natural sieve, and with it the bird sifts its food out of the 

 mud. 



COLUMB^ 



Pigeons are a large and widely distributed group of the feathered 

 race, almost all the members of which, from their general likeness 

 to our well-known and beautiful domestic pigeons and doves, could 

 be recognized as such without trouble. 



All the existing pigeon group are pretty, graceful creatures, 

 but the extinct Dodo and Solitaire, although they belonged to 

 the Columbae, were flightless and very ungraceful in build. 



There are several distinct families of pigeons. The Columbidae 

 is the typical one, and that is best represented by our domestic 

 pets. Ring-, and Turtle-, and other " doves " are placed in a 

 different family, and these, with the extremely pretty Sand-groiise, 

 lead us into the order of our Game Birds. 



THE PIGEON (Family Columbid^) 



All readers must know what a pigeon is. There are a great 

 number of different kinds of tame pigeons, some with tails like 

 fans, others that can blow themselves up like balloons, others that 

 tumble heels over head as they fly, and others still that may be 

 taken to places hundreds of miles from home and yet will fly 

 almost straight back to their own nests. 



