12 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



ers which it can raise or lower at will. Above each 

 eye is a black triangle, and a black spot trimmed in 

 blue adorns its breast; the rest of the plumage is 

 dark green. This unusual bird has a tail nine 

 inches long, and presents a most striking appear- 

 ance. Yet he is not satisfied with the beauty nature 

 gave him, and so as soon as he reaches the adult 

 age he begins to trim his tail feathers in the most 

 fitting style. 



The two centre feathers of his tail always pro- 

 ject far beyond the others. They are smooth- 

 edged with rounded tips, and as soon as the mot- 

 mot is grown he begins to cut the webs away on each 

 side of the spine. No one who has seen him have a 

 mishap and cut the feathers in an unbecoming fash- 

 ion, can ever doubt that he does it for the same rea- 

 son that people trim their hair and powder their 

 faces. 



These interesting facts prove beyond a doubt 

 that birds have a love of the beautiful, and as artists 

 are in many ways like human beings. They are our 

 tiny feathered artists of the air. Of coiu-se, not aU 

 birds have the artist's love of the beautiful in the 

 same degree. Certain pigeons build their nests of 

 a few sticks, just as fishermen build huts of drift- 

 wood and straw. Some swallows and kingfishers 

 build nests in burrowed caves; and in many parts 



