EXTERNAL ANAT031Y. TONGUE. 51 
action is much assisted by the formation of the root of 
the tongue, as it is usually called, or more properly the 
os hyoides, or forked bones by which it is attaclied to the 
mouth. These bones are greatly lengthened, and are 
compactly curved round the skull, having on each side a 
little sac or reservoir of a particular secretion which 
serves to lubricate the muscles ; just as we apply grease 
to the wheels of a carriage. Now, the use of this com- 
plicated structure, — which does not, however, as in the 
duck, imply any unusual sensibility of touch, — is inti- 
mately and vitally connected with the habits of the bird. 
Its bill, indeed, is’remarkably powerful, and capable of 
breaking into the strongest wood; but there its powers 
cease: its tip is made for splitting, not for piercing; and 
it has no teeth or notch by which it could firmly gi-asp 
a struggling insect. No sooner, therefore, has the wood- 
pecker, by breaking away the external bark with pow- 
erful strokes of the bill, laid open the retreat of the insect 
beneath, than it suddenly darts out its tongue, spears its 
prey, and instantly brings tlie luckless insect to its mouth. 
Tongues of this structure are not entirely confined to the 
family of woodpeckers, under which w'e include the wry- 
neck, but we detected an example among the Brazilian 
creepers, forming the genus Dendroco/aptes, whose tongues 
have been supposed by all ornithologists to he similar to 
that of thecommon European creeper; that is, thin, simply 
pointed, and not extensible. "VVe shall now' describe two 
other modifications of this member, very different from the 
last, hut which are also capable of being considerably 
elongated. 'I'he first of these is seen in the humming birds 
{TrocUlid(e)\ the seconrl in the honeysuckers {Melipha- 
gidtB.) It has generally been supposed that the two long 
filaments into which the tongue of the humming bird is 
divided were tubular, by which construction they were 
enabled to suck up from the nectary of flowers the 
natural honey therein contained. But this is altogether 
erroneous. So far back as the year 1 8 1 7, we detected this 
error in dissecting the humming birds of Brazil ; and we 
have often announced the fact, that the food of these 
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