July, 1906 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



33 



ROBABLY few people ever stopped to think 

 what a wonderful organ a bird's bill really 

 is, less as to structure than to what is ac- 

 complished with it. It has been asked what 

 a man would do if he had to build his home 

 and procure his food with his hands tied 



behind him. This is in effect what the bird has to do, and the 



constructive and artistic work shown in nest building has ever 



defied all effort of man to successfully imitate. 

 A bird's bill is hand and mouth. As a hand it takes, holds 



and carries food and nesting material, constructs and cleans 



its nest, dresses its feathers and cares for the cleanliness of 



its young, and in some cases, as the parrots, assists itself in 



climbing. As a mouth the bill tears, cuts or crushes the food, 



according to what it consists of. The bill is both lip and 



tooth to the bird, which has neither. 



The general shape of the bill is such as to give the greatest 



strength with the utmost lightness and delicacy. It is formed 



of light, projecting skull bones, sheathed in horny cases, 



instead of being covered with skin. 

 The primary functions of a bird's 



the securing of food, and, secondly, tl 



of the nest. These being the general 



quirements, it might be supposed that 



would be comparatively little de 



from one general pattern of bill. 



difference in the nature of the food 



however, and in the manner of pro- 

 curing it, among the different 



orders and families of birds, is 



such that there is probably no 



other one feature common to 



the members of any group, in 



which is to be found so 



much diversity in the matter 



of form and general size. 

 For the most part the 



form of the bill is found to 



correspond pretty closely 



with the nature of the food 



and the manner of procuring it. 

 The various requirements of 



nest building and minor matters 



seem to be made subservient to 



this essential one. Taking as a 



type form of bill, the shape com- 

 mon to birds which are omnivorous 



in food habits, we have a nearly 



straight conical bill, of moderate pro- 

 portions, of which the crow's is a fair 



example. Such a bill, while not as 



Crow 



well adapted to the procuring of any one kind of food as 

 some specialized form, yet seems best adapted to meet the 

 needs of obtaining a varied bill of fare under diverse condi- 

 tions. In many cases the general nature of the food of two 

 or more families is alike, but the method of procuring it 

 varies greatly among the different orders of birds, a fact 

 which results in considerable difference in size and shape 

 of bill. 



The food of both pelican and man-o'-war bird is fish. The 

 former is an honest fisherman, and, like other honest fisher- 

 men, has times of abundant success, and others when he has 

 only "fisherman's luck." It is therefore to his advantage to 



Robu 



Long-Billed 

 Thrasher 



