. The cyclopædia of anatomy and physiology. Anatomy; Physiology; Zoology. and the tongue so provided becomes an in- strument for testing the softness and ripe- ness of fruit, and the fitness of other objects for food, thereby acting as a kind of antenna or feeler. A similar but less developed struc- ture is found in the tongue of the frugivorous Touraco. In the Woodpeckers the apex of the horny sheath (a, fig. 153, 154) gives off at; the sides short-pointed processes directed back- wards, which thus convert it into a barbed instrument, fitted for holding fast the insects which its sharp point
. The cyclopædia of anatomy and physiology. Anatomy; Physiology; Zoology. and the tongue so provided becomes an in- strument for testing the softness and ripe- ness of fruit, and the fitness of other objects for food, thereby acting as a kind of antenna or feeler. A similar but less developed struc- ture is found in the tongue of the frugivorous Touraco. In the Woodpeckers the apex of the horny sheath (a, fig. 153, 154) gives off at; the sides short-pointed processes directed back- wards, which thus convert it into a barbed instrument, fitted for holding fast the insects which its sharp point has transfixed, after the strong beak has dislodged them from their hiding places. The cornua of the os hyoides in the Woodpecker extend backwards to the vertebral column, wind round the back of the head, and converge as they pass forwards to be inserted in a canal generally on the right side of the upper mandible (d, e, fig. 153, 154.) Fig. Cranium and tongue of a Woodpecker. One of the most remarkable structures which the tongue presents in this class is met with in the Flamingo, where it is remarkable both for its size, texture, and singular armature. The tongue is almost cylindrical, slightly flattened above, and obliquely truncate anteriorly, so as to cor- respond with the form of the interior mandible. The pointed extremity of the truncated part is supported beneath by a small horny plate. Along the middle of the upper surface" there is a moderately deep and wide longitudinal furrow; on either side of which there are from twenty to twenty-five recurved spines, from one to three lines in length. These spines are arranged in an irregular alternate series : the outer ones being the smallest, which Tongue of the Toucan. may almost be considered as a distinct row. At the posterior part of the tongue there are two groups of smaller recumbent spines di- rected towards the glottis. The substance of the tongue is not muscular, but is chiefly composed of an abundant ela
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