A History 
of Birds. 
(122) THE BIRD WORLD. 
Finally we have a few remarks to make on 
the covering- of the beak and feet. The jaws of 
a bird, as we have already remarked, no longer 
bear teeth, but are ensheathed in horny cases. 
In many species, as in the Petrels, for example, 
the beak-sheaths, instead of being- entire, one 
for the upper and one for the lower jaw, are 
made up of a number of separate pieces. While 
in the Puffin, and one of the Pelicans, orna¬ 
mental plates are developed during the breeding- 
season and shed immediately after. In the Peli¬ 
can this plate is square in shape and borne on 
the ridge of the beak near its middle; in the 
Puffin it is triangular, and is attached to the 
base of the beak at each side. 
The legs, as a rule, are covered, as in the 
reptile, in horny scales; but in some birds, as 
in Grouse, and Sand-Grouse, and the Golden 
Eagle, and many Owls, the shank of the legs, 
and often the toes also are covered by long 
feathers not unlike long, silky hairs, and quite 
different in character from the quill-like feather 
on the legs of domesticated races of Pigeons and 
Fowls. In some birds a delicate skin takes the 
place of scales. 
The claws of birds vary greatly in shape, 
according to whether they play any part in the 
capture of the food. Thus they may attain a 
relatively enormous size in Birds of Prey, where 
the claw of the hind toe is especially large; here 
the feet are used to hold living prey securely. 
Some species, indeed, as the Gos-hawk, for 
instance, kill their victims by means of the feet 
and claws. In the Jaganas, birds of the Plover 
tribe, the claws attain an enormous length, form¬ 
ing long, pointed rods, which, with their tre¬ 
mendously long toes serve to enable them to 
walk in the delicate floating weeds of the rivers 
which these birds haunt. In some other birds, 
as for example in the Cassowary, the claws may 
be used as a weapon of offence. And the inner 
claw is of great size and strength, and is capable 
of inflicting a very dangerous wound. 
Changeable Claws. 
In many of the Grouse tribe the claws are 
shed each spring; though in some, as in the 
Black Game, the shedding is confined to the 
ragged fringe along the inner side of the claws. 
This fringe, by-the-bye, recalls the fact that the 
middle claw in many birds, as the Barn Owl, 
Nightjar, and Herons, for instance, has a curi¬ 
ous series of little teeth running along its outer 
edge, but so far no one has been able to tender 
any suggestion as to what use it may serve. 
Wing and Leg-spurs. 
Finally, we must find space for a brief refer¬ 
ence to the formidable weapons which many birds 
possess in the shape of spurs. These are gener¬ 
ally confined to the legs, and may be represented 
by a pair only, as in the Game-cock, or by 
several, as in the Peacock-Pheasant. But be¬ 
side these a few birds have similar and equally 
powerful armature in the wings. In some, as in 
the “Screamers” (Palamedea and Chauna), 
two spurs are developed, one at each end of the 
fused metacarpal bones—the bones which form 
the “ palm ” of the hand; in all other birds but 
one spur is developed, and this may spring from 
one of the wrist bones as in the Spur-winged 
Goose, or from the base of the thumb, as in the 
Jaganas. 
A Rare-Feathered 
Chiff-Chaff. 
The present photograph is a 
likeness of Mr. J. Jones’s well- 
known albino chiff-chaff, one of 
the rarest freak-feathered birds 
ever exhibited. It won first 
and special Dulwich and Peck- 
ham, first at Nottingham, third 
at Cardiff and Cannock. The 
bird is shown as it appeared 
in its show-cage ; its plumage 
is not pure white, but of a faint 
primrose hue. The chiff-chaff 
is of particular interest at this 
time of year as being the earli¬ 
est of our spring migrants. 
The characteristic double note, 
from which its name is derived, 
may be often heard by the 
middle of March. 
