. The bird, its form and function . t, or great, toe, which in all other woodpeckers pointsbackward, has disappeared, leaving but a vestigial tracebeneath the skin, while the outer toe is reversed to takeits place. We may see one of these hardy three-toed fel-lows sliding and hitching up a pine-tree, pounding andhammering vigorously, the loss of an entire toe evidently nothandicapping him in the least. In such fashion does Natureoccasionally upset our hard-worked-out theories, leavingus confused and baffled before her inexplicable surprises. Is it not rather disconcerting to find that this sam
. The bird, its form and function . t, or great, toe, which in all other woodpeckers pointsbackward, has disappeared, leaving but a vestigial tracebeneath the skin, while the outer toe is reversed to takeits place. We may see one of these hardy three-toed fel-lows sliding and hitching up a pine-tree, pounding andhammering vigorously, the loss of an entire toe evidently nothandicapping him in the least. In such fashion does Natureoccasionally upset our hard-worked-out theories, leavingus confused and baffled before her inexplicable surprises. Is it not rather disconcerting to find that this samearrangement of two toes in front and two behind alsoholds good for the other Orders of birds mentioned above,the parrots, cuckoos, and owls,—their toes all arrangedin pairs, fore-and-aft? This is an excellent example ofwhat is called parallelism, or the independent develop-ment of similar structures. Feet and Legs 371 Parrots use their feet for more different purposes thando any other birds: they are the monkeys of the feathered. Fig. 291.—Cockatoo perching with one foot and holding food with the other. world. They cUmb wires or branches one step after theother, their beaks taking the place of a third foot in thisstyle of locomotion. They pick up food, such as 372 The Bird or a nut, and, holding it in the foot while eating, turnit from side to side as we revolve an apple in our their claws they preen their plumage, and push eachother aside when too closely crowded. In fact the functionsof the feet and toes of parrots approach nearer to thoseof a human hand than the limb of any other Order of birds.
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