The Breath of a Bird 169 



is common to all birds) the trachea appears to be com- 

 posed of alternating half-rings, but when elongated 

 these are seen to be complete, the illusion being pro- 

 duced by the overlapping of half of each ring by an equal 

 part of the rings on each side. When the trachea is ex- 

 tended, the only hint of this clever device is a small notch 

 on the sides of every ring. The illustration demonstrates 

 the working better than any description. 



Nature is ingenious but not perfect, as is seen even 

 in the inch of Flamingo's trachea which I have utilized 

 for illustration and description. Two of the rings do not 

 "jibe" on one of their sides, and overlap the wrong way, 

 but the loss in motion is infinitesimal, the defect being 

 hardly noticeable even when the rings are bent into a 

 semicircle. 



In a very young English Sparrow there are about 

 fifty rings around the trachea, appearing to be of a more 

 cartilaginous nature than those of the flamingo. This 

 latter long-necked bird has no less than four hundred and 

 fifty rings. 



In some members of the Class of amphibians (frogs, 

 toads, and newts) the trachea is supported by small ir- 

 regular pieces of cartilage, tending in the higher forms 

 toward ringed areas. Among reptiles an intermediate 

 condition exists, complete rings being present, but of 

 cartilage instead of bone. 



The wonderful music of birds is produced in a rela- 

 tively small area, known as the syrinx. This organ is 

 situated at the point where the trachea divides into the 

 two bronchi. The latter arise as if by a splitting of the 



