﻿art., 
  19 
  CONCERNING 
  BIRDS 
  ' 
  TONGUES 
  GARDNER 
  9 
  

  

  4. 
  Flesh 
  feeders 
  or 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  prey, 
  including 
  the 
  owls, 
  have 
  

   developed 
  heavy 
  rasping 
  tongues. 
  The 
  anterior 
  portion 
  is 
  often 
  

   very 
  rough 
  and 
  hard 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  forms 
  somewhat 
  curled 
  as 
  in 
  

   eagles 
  and 
  lammergeiers. 
  The 
  posterior 
  spines, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  

   single 
  or 
  multiple 
  row, 
  are 
  stiff 
  and 
  hard. 
  Opening 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  

   are 
  ducts 
  of 
  many 
  mucous 
  glands 
  the 
  function 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  manifest. 
  

   A 
  curious 
  modification 
  of 
  form 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  trough-shaped 
  

   tongues 
  of 
  the 
  vultures 
  and 
  the 
  condor, 
  which 
  are 
  armed 
  with 
  sharp 
  

   marginal 
  spines 
  (figs. 
  36-43). 
  

  

  5. 
  Where 
  the 
  food 
  is 
  probed 
  for 
  and 
  consists 
  largely 
  of 
  insects 
  we 
  

   see 
  the 
  structure 
  as 
  exemplified 
  by 
  woodpeckers. 
  Lucas 
  7 
  has 
  dem- 
  

   onstrated 
  an 
  interesting 
  correlation 
  with 
  diet. 
  Flickers 
  (fig. 
  14), 
  

   having 
  made 
  a 
  departure 
  from 
  the 
  regular 
  fare 
  and 
  having 
  taken 
  to 
  

   an 
  ant 
  diet, 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  possess 
  a 
  blunt-tipped 
  tongue 
  with 
  but 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  reduced 
  barbs, 
  while 
  the 
  extensibility 
  is 
  greatly 
  increased 
  

   and 
  the 
  whole 
  dorsal 
  tract 
  (basihyal 
  position) 
  plentifully 
  supplied 
  

   with 
  minute 
  spines 
  to 
  hold 
  mucous. 
  In 
  these 
  birds 
  also 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   maxilliary 
  salivary 
  glands 
  reach 
  their 
  maximum 
  development, 
  a 
  

   combination 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  catch 
  ants. 
  

  

  In 
  Melanerpes 
  (fig. 
  15), 
  where 
  the 
  diet 
  has 
  become 
  more 
  gener- 
  

   alized, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  extensibility 
  is 
  reduced 
  and 
  instead 
  

   of 
  spines 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  conversion 
  to 
  vibrissae 
  or 
  hair- 
  

   like 
  processes. 
  

  

  Finally 
  in 
  the 
  sapsuckers 
  (fig. 
  16) 
  the 
  extensibility 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  

   a 
  minimum. 
  The 
  dorsal 
  tract 
  is 
  bare 
  of 
  spines 
  except 
  posteriorly, 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  widened 
  into 
  a 
  shieldlike 
  structure 
  bearing 
  papillae. 
  At 
  

   the 
  tip 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  lateral 
  edges 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  brush 
  of 
  hairs 
  

   which 
  serves 
  well 
  for 
  capillarity 
  but 
  is 
  ill 
  adapted 
  to 
  spearing 
  grubs 
  

   nor 
  are 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  found 
  in 
  an 
  analysis 
  of 
  stomach 
  contents. 
  

  

  Among 
  this 
  group 
  should 
  be 
  classed 
  the 
  spearing 
  and 
  impaling 
  

   organs 
  of 
  the 
  titmice, 
  and 
  nuthatches, 
  already 
  described. 
  

  

  6. 
  Seed 
  and 
  nut 
  eaters 
  have 
  fleshy 
  and 
  strong 
  tongues. 
  In 
  this 
  

   group 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  classed 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  parrots 
  (fig. 
  17) 
  and 
  

   finches 
  (fig. 
  18). 
  In 
  parrots 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  described. 
  In 
  finches 
  it 
  is 
  

   cylindrical 
  or 
  tends 
  toward 
  that 
  form 
  and 
  slopes 
  from 
  base 
  to 
  tip. 
  

   Since 
  the 
  ability 
  of 
  a 
  bird 
  to 
  project 
  the 
  lower 
  mandible 
  is 
  very 
  lim- 
  

   ited 
  the 
  rolling 
  of 
  seeds 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  husking 
  would 
  be 
  difficult. 
  

   With 
  the 
  inclined 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  tongue, 
  however, 
  acting 
  as 
  a 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  against 
  which 
  seeds 
  may 
  be 
  rolled, 
  this 
  is 
  actually 
  accomplished 
  

   most 
  dexterously. 
  In 
  many 
  finches 
  for 
  reasons 
  not 
  entirely 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  the 
  tongue 
  is 
  often 
  scoop-shaped 
  or 
  even 
  rolled 
  into 
  a 
  semi- 
  

   tubular 
  structure, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  illustrated 
  later. 
  

  

  7 
  Lucas, 
  F. 
  A. 
  The 
  Tongues 
  of 
  Woodpeckers. 
  Bull. 
  No. 
  7, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Dept. 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  

   Dlv. 
  Ornith. 
  and 
  Mammalogy. 
  

  

  43316—25 
  2 
  

  

  