. Birds and nature . n marshes, probing the mudfor w^orms, and, being in frequent dangerof attack from owls or other foes, it hasneed of constant vigilance. So we find thatits eyes, which are large and lustrous, areplaced far back on its head, and also upnear the top of the skull. Useless in guid-ing the bird in its search for food, they havebecome altered in size and position, and sobest fulfill their function of aiding their during the period of courtship. What a list of these crests we may com-pile in a walk through a zoological park!The photographs show the grace and deli-cacy of these fea
. Birds and nature . n marshes, probing the mudfor w^orms, and, being in frequent dangerof attack from owls or other foes, it hasneed of constant vigilance. So we find thatits eyes, which are large and lustrous, areplaced far back on its head, and also upnear the top of the skull. Useless in guid-ing the bird in its search for food, they havebecome altered in size and position, and sobest fulfill their function of aiding their during the period of courtship. What a list of these crests we may com-pile in a walk through a zoological park!The photographs show the grace and deli-cacy of these feathers, to which words canadd nothing. Concealed crests bring tomind the Kingbird and the Ruby-crownedKinglet, both of which derive their namesfrom their crowns of ruby. It is said thatthe former bird is aided in its search forfood by the bright spot of color which,flower-like when exposed, attracts , however, should be confirmed beforebeing accepted as a fact; although in, a 14 Birds & Nature Magazine. Portrait of Hooded Merganser Duck A Halo of Delicate Feathers for Ornamentation Only. tropical flycatcher, which has a beautifulred and purple transverse crest, the evidenceof this novel use seems fairly well corrobor-ated. As the antithesis to this condition, wefind many birds which have the head partlyor entirely bare of feathers, such as the vul-tures and some of the waders. In theformer group this lack of feathers is doubt-less of value in enabling the birds to avoidsoiling their plumage, when engaged in theirscavenger work. The great Condor ofSouth America has, just below this nakedarea, a necklace of the whitest of fluffydown, and in addition the male has a largewattle of skin upon the front of the the skin of the head and neck ispartly bare, ornamentation often takes theform of many-shaped and often highly col-ored whistles, such as we see highly devel-oped in a King Vulture. The length of the neck of birds is oftencorrelated with that of the legs
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