58 



VERTEBRATES: BIRDS. 



BIRDS. 



Of all animals perhaps none are more interesting to 

 both young and old than Birds. Their presence in the 

 fields and hedges, in the groves and forests, their beau- 

 tiful, and, in many kinds, splendid colors, their sweet 

 songs, and their curious and wonderful habits, charm 

 and delight every one. 



Birds are vertebrates which are covered with feathers, 

 furnished with a bill, and fitted for flight, — their form 

 as well as their structure being adapted for easy and 

 rapid movement through the air ; even their bones are 



Occiput. 



Interior toe, 

 - Middle " 

 ■ Exterior " 



Mg. 102. — Showing the names of some of the principal parts of a Bird. 



hollow, hence very light in proportion to their size. 

 The general form of a Bird, and the names of some of 

 the principal external parts, are shown in Figure 102. 

 The skeleton and the names of the principal parts are 

 shown in Figure 103. It is an interesting fact that the 

 form and the skeleton of a Bird suggested the right way 



