OR, PLAIN 



strong and robust ; the whole of 

 the plumage is jet black, with 

 rich violet reflections, especially 

 on the crest and chest plumes. 

 The umbrella-bird equals a jay 



8 



422. 



in size ; but of its manners and 

 habits nothing is known. It is a 

 native of Brazil and the borders 

 of the Amazon, and its tributary 

 rivers.* 



The crossbill, 10, is an ex- 



10 



423. 



ample of an apparent malforma- 

 tion (Tor such it was once consi- 



* Kuight's Pictorial Museum. 







TEACHING. 121 



dered to be), being an adaptation 

 to the wants of the creature. 

 The tongue of the crossbill is 

 plain, equal, and whole, but the 

 mandibles, II, instead of lying in 

 a straight direction, cross each 

 other, like the blades of a pair 

 of scissors. 



They live mostly on the seeds of the cones of 

 the fir, in procuring which they exhibit won- 

 derful instinct, as they fix themselves across the 

 cone, then bring the points of their beak imme- 

 diately over each other, and insinuate them be- 

 tween the scales, when, forcing them laterally, 

 the scales open ; and then again bringing the 

 points in contact, they pick out the seed with 

 the utmost ease. 



In North America and Green- 

 land the crossbill is said to build 

 its nest in the highest parts of 

 fir-trees, making use of the 

 resinous matter which exudes 

 from the trees to fix the nest to 

 the branches. It never breeds 

 in this country, but sometimes 

 visits it in large numbers, fre- 

 quenting places where firs grow, 

 and doing damage in orchards by 

 picking apples to pieces to obtain 

 the seeds. 



Birds paradise, 178, have 

 been aptly designated " the chil- 

 dren of the sun." Their plumage 

 is so flocculent and downy, that 

 they are incapable of flying other- 

 wise than against the wind ; for 

 were they to fly with the wind, 

 their plumage would become so 

 disordered, that they would be 

 unable to control their move- 

 ments. When we look on their 

 beautiful plumage, we are capti- 

 vated by its . richness, but sel- 

 dom think that those fairy-like 

 feathers are instrumental in di- 

 recting the, birds to where their 

 food may be found. New Guinea 

 and the adjacent islands form the 

 habitations of these birds, and 



