164 



LONG BILLS. 



poisons always shows itself locally, near the place of 

 the wound, before it injures the system generally, 

 it is probable that a direct mixture of the venomous 

 fluid with the blcod is necessary, in order that it may 

 produce its destructive effects ; and this is rendered 

 the more probable from the fact that the same fluid, 

 may be taken into the stomach without the. smallest 

 injury, by animals to which, it would prove fatal in a 

 very short time if taken into the blood. 



Many birds feed upon creatures provided with 

 poisoning apparatus, — as the bee-eaters and other 

 species feed upon many insects that have poisoned 

 stings ; and various species of birds feed upon ser- 

 pents which have poison fangs. Now, all those birds 

 are so constructed, that those parts of their bodies 

 which could be seriously injured by the sting or the 

 fangs, are kept out of the way. If, like the bee-eaters, 

 they capture stinging insects on the wing, the bill is 

 long, and the tongue either short or indurated, so 

 that no part of them which comes in contact with 

 the insect, is liable to be hurt by its puncture or its 

 venom. In those species which eat poisonous 

 snakes, the bill is long, and the tarsi also, so that all 

 those parts of the bird which are vulnerable by the 

 reptile, are elevated above its reach after it is once 

 pressed to the earth by the feet, when it is not at 

 once killed by the stroke of these on the head, which 

 is a very common habit with birds in the case of 

 such prey. If food which is thus dangerous is taken 

 by the bird on the wing, as is the case with wasps 

 and other venomous insects, the bill is long, and the 

 tongue either short, or callous towards the tip, so as 

 not to be very liable to injury, if the snap of the bill, 

 which however is seldom the case, should fail in 

 despatching the insect. 



