Marvels of the Universe 
The Rhinoceros Hornbill’s ornamental beak. 
The Puffin’s beak—fashioned for holding fish. 
The Helmet Hornbill’s useful beak. 
instrument for rending and tearing ; 
hence, from its multifarious uses, it 
forms what we call a “ generalized” 
type of beak, as distinct from a 
specialized type, such, for example, 
as that presented by the Scissor-bill. 
The beak of this bird is unique. The 
lower jaw, it will be noticed, is longer, 
considerably longer, than the upper ; 
but more than this, each is flattened 
from side to side, till it presents the 
appearance of a couple of paper- 
knives! Only at the gape do these 
blades expand to form the cavity of 
the mouth. The Scissor-bill is a fish- 
eater, and catches its prey after a 
quite peculiar fashion, skimming along 
the surface of lakes and rivers, with 
the long, lower blade in the water, 
the upper raised, so that in careering 
over shoals of small fish one victim 
after another is caught as in a cleft 
stick. 
The various uses to which the 
Raven’s beak is put can be studied 
in action separately in certain widely 
different birds. Thus the beak as a 
dagger is seen in the Heron, where 
it is used to spear water-voles and 
fish ; it is also a dagger, and a pair 
of forceps as well, in the Kingfisher. 
The Peewit’s beak is also used as a 
pair of forceps, for picking up worms 
and insects. In the Woodcock, we 
have a beak which is formed on the 
model of, and is used like, a pair of 
surgical forceps: that is to say, the 
tip only is used to grasp objects out 
of sight, as when the beak is thrust 
down into soft, saturated soil for the 
purpose of securing worms at the end 
of the thrust. The beak as a hammer 
attains the maximum of perfection in 
the remarkable Helmet Hornbill. In 
all the other Hornbills—and they are 
all remarkable birds—the beak is ex- 
travagantly, not to say grotesquely, 
developed, as may be seen in the photo- 
graph of the Rhinoceros Hornbill ; but 
