316 HINTS TO ORNITHOLOGISTS. 
except in a great fall of snow, we have proof posi-' j 
tive, by their aptitude at walking, and by their velo-s 
city in running, that our judgment has been rash,i| 
and that our theory is unsound. j 
We are informed that jays live more amongst] 
trees than upon the ground; and the arboreal pro-i 
pensity of this bird is inferred from the shape of iU 
toes. Now, let it be remembered, that, with the 
exception of the short periods when garden fruits 
and acorns are ripe, this bird must be upon the, 
ground to procure a maintenance. Here, where he 
is protected, he may be seen upon the ground at all 
hours of the day. 
The common wagtail, too, is pronounced to be ai 
truly terrestrial bird,'^ on account of the formations 
of his toes. Come hither, and you shall see the 
common wagtail in the daily habit of resorting^ toi 
the trees. > i 
Those who derive their knowledge of birds froini 
the inspection of their external anatomy alone, may 
write on the use of bristles at the mouths of' 
birds ; and they may tell us that, in proportion as 
birds partake of a vegetable and an insect diet, so 
are these bristles more or less developed. But the 
fallacy of this theory is manifest in the ordinary 
habits of the barn-door fowl, the wigeon, and many^ 
other birds. During the summer months, the barn- j 
door fowl, whilst cropping the grass and herbs, will 
capture, with the utmost facility and avidity, every i 
insect, great or small^ or soft or hard, which is; 
unfortunate enough to be within its reach. The 
