then wail with its mMes tor the mad 

 cxoilus nf rodents and reptiles. 



" [u eh«iiec> soon al*9' nwaing ihi> 



JfcftCfti a letter from Melbourne 

 riy£ me experiences in point In .1 

 SflpinbQ PUB student newly returned 

 |rom [|w Rum Jungle area. The local 

 hw ks, he related, sometimes snatched 

 mahs Sticks Pfflttl a camprirc. when 

 cooking was done at mid-dav a»d 

 .Uopped them some disiance away. 

 \|so, the hirds broke 8ft green 

 branches ami tffftppKl 'hem on the 

 hiv The visitor thought these actions 

 -very curious '. 



A significant point in this second 

 a-p.rt is ihai the hawks took burn- 

 ,Hg slicks from campfircs (as dis- 

 i,net fiom grassfircs), which would 

 seem to indicate a definite use of the 

 slicks as tools. The matter, it is. 

 clear, needs investigation. 



\ tmkuKio's Suuaiit? 



Yet another impressive device 

 ^lupied by a bird Wheti seeking food 



I and one which should perhaps have 

 bun cited earlier m ibis discussion ) 

 is reported bv the notable Alfred R 

 Wallace in his hook The Mdhy Arch!- 

 pekiffl first published in \HW. Writ- 

 ing of the large Palm Cockatoo of 

 ihe Am Islands — this species. Probo- 

 ukvi uierAmftt, also occurs in the 

 rmrlh-cast of Australia— Wallace says 

 ihai IhE enormous, complicated beak 

 ftftj remarkable tongue of the bird 

 enable it 10 deal with, in particular, 

 a certain hard and smooth-shelled 

 flul which no other bird is able to 

 IHVJrt. Apparently die visiting f nglislv 

 man gained close views of the "very 

 euiious" feeding technique of the big 

 cockatoo, for he describes in detail 

 how thr beak, tongue and claws 

 function specifically yet in unison 

 when coping with the hard and 

 impair mil. Moreover— anil here is 

 Ihe most Milking ftnrtttre jdf the 

 .i r ...aiion— he slates th.at die bud 



July 1971 



hitcs oti <t piece of leaf and uses it 

 us anti skid'' equipment. This is done 

 by retaining it in a deep notch 111 ihe 

 upper mandible, where Ihe nut is 

 'prevented from slipping hy the 

 elastic lissue of Ihe leaf ". 



Ihe .suggestion has hcen made that 

 ■in object should be classified as an 

 avian 100I if a bird axes it as an 

 extension of claws or beak (or a 

 specific purpose. On this definition 

 ihe cockatoo of Wallace's admiration 

 ranks as a tool-user, even though its 

 "mouth-piece" may be only .. passive 

 aid. In any event, one wonders how' 

 Ihe Palm Cockatoo learned lliat a 

 certain piece of leal, when placed 

 in a particular part of the beak, would 

 assist to keep a smooth put from 

 slipping 



Ants as ' I mils" 



II will have been noted that with 

 the exception ot Ihe bowerhirds all 

 Ihe recognised tooUising birds exer- 

 cise their peculiar abilities to gam 

 tood. What is to be said, however, 

 in regard to anliiig. the confirmed 

 practice of many birds of rubbing 

 live ants and other acidulous sub- 

 stances on their bodies' The insects 

 an.- usually discarded (not eaten) 

 alter use. and moreover die mediums 

 have been known to extend to ber- 

 ries. aromatic leaves, cigar-biuis and 

 the like, thus making il apparent that 

 the practice is aimed at cleansing 

 and or siimitlating the birds body 

 Should not. therefore, dns be re- 

 garded ;cs a form of tool-using'.' If 

 so. the list ol avian tool-users will 

 gready expand, foi scores $1 species 

 have been known "to am", or prac- 

 tise 'antrne". since these words were 

 first introduced into the English lan- 

 gjmgc 1 m Australia) after the prac 

 l,cf wjs discussed in Ibis country in 

 P>?-k 



Here il would be noted, loo, thai 

 ,., a recent issue (Oct. 1970) of Ihe 



185 



