GO 
THE CLIMAX OF INQUISITIVENESS. 
depends the presence of birds in any particular locality; and not 
unfrequently dire want compels them to abandon a neighbourhood, 
■' it may be for years, it may be for ever I " 
No animal, says Brehm, knows better than the bird how to efiect 
a complete reconnaissance of his little territory. He inspects every 
corner, forces himself into every recess, and never overlooks anything 
that can be useful for his nest or as food. Many of the graminivorous 
birds — pigeons, for example — are content with picking up the meal 
duly prepared for them ; others are dexterous enough to strip the seeds 
of their envelopes ; hens dig up the roots and tubercules on which they 
feed. The frugivorous species collect berries and fruits with their 
beaks ; some seize upon them while on the wing. The insect-eaters 
capture their victims in ever so many ways : they pluck them from the 
branches and leaves to which they adhere; they dart upon them in the 
course of their airy flight ; they hunt them out of the flower-cups, the 
chinks and crevices in which they attempt to hide ; — frequently, to 
discover them is a protracted and difficult task; in some species 
the tonofue is so oro-anized as to be able to follow the victims into 
their profoundest retreats. 
