122 The Bird 
similar to this and is well worth examining. The use of 
such a complicated organ in a bird of so simple feeding 
habits as the duck is hard to explain. 
We will hardly find two tongues that are alike, and 
even the tips differ, and show as wide a range of varia- 
Fics. 93 and 94.—Top and side views of the tongue of a Mallard Duck, showing 
complicated structure in the tongue of a bird which sifts its food from the mud. 
tion as the remaining portions. In many birds, such as 
owls, larks, and swifts, the tip is bifid, or double-pointed, 
bringing to mind the forked tongues of snakes and cer- 
tain lizards. In woodpeckers the tongue is round and 
exceedingly long, and can usually be thrown out some 
distance beyond the tip of the bill. 
Our common Flicker, or Golden-winged Woodpecker, 
