368 
NOTES TO THE 
cage. This shows fear ; the blackbird will do the same thing. 
Every bird, old or young, can be tamed by kind treatment and 
knick-knacks in the shape of tempting food. A knick-knack for 
a soft-feeding bird would be maggots cleaned in sand, and meal- 
worms, and any kind of small beetle ; knick-knacks for car- 
nivorous birds would ba live mice, small birds, &c. 
Claws of Heron, p. 69.— The feet of birds afford a field for very 
great study. Along the sides of the toes of the capercaillie run 
a series of hard, strong bristles, not at all unlike tlie teeth of an 
ordinary comb. I believe the use of these is to act as a snow-shoe 
to help to support the bird when walking on the snow. The reader 
should observe for himself the curious? serration on one side of 
RERRATED CLAW OF THE HERON. 
the middle toe of the common heron. The same structure is 
also found in the bittern and cormorant. The use of it is cer- 
tainly not for prehension, as was formerly supposed, but rather, 
as its structure indicates, for a comb. Among the feathers of 
the heron and bittern can always be found a considerable 
quantity of powder. The bird probably uses this comb to keep 
the powder and feathers in proper order. 
Feen-Owl, p. 70. — The Fern-Owl, or Goat-sucker, arrives here 
very late in May, the month of cockchafers ; the chafers come 
out witli the leaves. The female makes no nest, but lays two 
eggs on the bare ground. The churring noise is its song ; the 
male bird does it mostly ; the male will " churr " when the 
