Organs of Nutrition 141 
way in which this part of the digestive tract is coiled and 
twisted in the body cavity of the bird allows it to take 
up the least possible amount of room. 
The function of this long tube is to absorb the nutri- 
ment from the food after this has been moistened by 
the salivary glands, crushed by the gizzard, and acted 
on by the stomach acids, and secretions from the liver 
and pancreas. The digestible parts are then taken up 
by the blood through the walls of the intestine. In 
many of the lower types of birds, such as the cassowary, 
ostrich, and screamer, the arrangement of this long 
digestive tract is very simple, much like the condition 
to be found in alligators. 
