. Illustrated natural history : comprising descriptions of animals, birds, fishes, reptiles, insects, etc., with sketches of their peculiar habits and characteristics . Zoology. THE OONE-BILLED FEROBERS. 24£> hands of its benefactress, flew against a window pane, and instantly fell dead on the floor. The Crossbill is instantly known by the crossed points of the beak, and the horny scoop at the tip of the tongue. It uses these tools to open the fir-cones, on the seeds of which it feeds. The bird inserts both its mandibles under the scales of the cone, then by separating them the scale is rai
. Illustrated natural history : comprising descriptions of animals, birds, fishes, reptiles, insects, etc., with sketches of their peculiar habits and characteristics . Zoology. THE OONE-BILLED FEROBERS. 24£> hands of its benefactress, flew against a window pane, and instantly fell dead on the floor. The Crossbill is instantly known by the crossed points of the beak, and the horny scoop at the tip of the tongue. It uses these tools to open the fir-cones, on the seeds of which it feeds. The bird inserts both its mandibles under the scales of the cone, then by separating them the scale is raised up, while the seed is scooped out by the horny tip of the tongue. This singular structure of the beak enables the bird to divide an apple in halves, so as to get at the pips. Although the crossed mandibles appear rather a barrier rrosebni to picking up small objects, yet the Cross- bill can pick up and husk the smallest seeds, or shell almonds, which latter feat is accomplished by picking a hole in it and then wrenching it open, just as an idle schoolboy opens a nut with his penknife when he ought to be using that instrument in the more legitimate operation of mending his pen. Mr. Yarrell gives an amusing account of a pair of crossbills, who amused themselves by twisting out the wires of their cage. They actually succeeded in pulling out a flat-headed nail usM to confine the network, but the bird lost the point of his bill in his efibrts. They were at last banished on account of their unceasing destruction of cages. The Khinoceros Hornbill. — This singular and almost startling family comprises but few species, which are all natives of India and Africa. The enormous bill, with its incomprehensible appendage, although of course heavy, is really much lighter than it looks; being composed of a kind of light honeycombed struc- ture. The upper protuberance is hollow, and the only conjecture formed of its use, is that it serves as a sounding-board to increase tbe reverberations
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1883
