From: rcb33483@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (ArchTeryx)
Subject: ArchTeryx's hatchday meal...
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 17:04:12 GMT

ArchTeryx looks at the food laid in front of him...the two halibut (I'll GET
you for that one, Caithelin! :>) and the cheesecake.  He thanks each of the 
donors with a gentle nibble and a warble, then looks again at the huge fish
and the cheesecake.  

"Hoo boy, this is going to be tough...but I think I can manage to eat all of
 this. Within my culture, it'd be...well...sort of wimping out if I didn't.
 Birds are funny things sometimes, especially when they decide to get together
 and grow cultures."

ArchTeryx dodges a hail of peanuts, not wanting to spoil his appetite with them
this time.

ArchTeryx picks up one of the fish, going over to a visible part of the bar.
"May as well make a good show out of this."  he then grins widely at a whisper
from Caithelin.

The big bird suddenly Y-A-W-N-S to stretch his four jawhinges, forming a 
gaping maw three feet wide, his triangular tongue taking up the center
space.  "There. I guess I'm ready..." he saids in a somewhat funny voice.

ArchTeryx opens wide and places the fish headfirst into his beak.  In a feat
of neck strength (and with help from his wingclaws) he lifts the rest of the
fish into the air along with his beak.  Then he begins to gulp down the 
fish one rather visible and audible *GULP* at a time.  Each time the fish goes
down a little more, bulging his gular area (chin) and then his slim neck.
Eventually he gets it down to his furcula (wishbone).  He pauses a second, and
then with an enormous *GULP* forces the fish down past his collarbone with an
audible *crack* as the prongs separate, creaking joints.  He then lets go
of the fish and rapidly gulps it down more.  His crop (an area below the base
of his neck and above his chest) begins to bulge as the fish is fed into it.
Finally all that is left is the tail, which he waggles playfully at Caithelin
before he finally gulps the rest of it down in a choffing motion.  His body 
does the rest, the huge bulge in his neck slowly narrows and fades and the fish
is tucked into his crop.

ArchTeryx then repeats this rather long and complex process with the other huge
fish, gulping and working it around, so that the first fish winds up in one
'lobe' of his crop, the second in the other. (a side note, that in birds,
the crop is a thin-walled chamber about midway down the gullet for food
storage.  It takes many shapes, in AT is is roughly L-shaped, with the long
side of the L being horizontal and divided into two sides by a narrowing 
in the middle).  Finally, after about 20 minutes VR time, he finishes 
swallowing the other fish.

Finally comes dessert. He takes a look at the delicious-looking cheesecake, and
decides to have a little fun while his gullet is still flexible.  He takes the 
cheesecake, whole, and places it in his beak.  He then very carefully, with
a series of odd-looking head motions, tucks the cake into his gullet, but 
in one piece, still horizontal.  It forms a roughly disk-shaped bulge
in his neck.  He looks to it's donor and gives her a silly grin.  Then he tips
his head up and *GULPS*.  There is a stretching then a squishing sound as the
cake is squeezed down into his already full crop.

ArchTeryx pantpantpants after this effort, his crop so bulged out it's full
outline is clearly visible through his chest and neck-base, and ArchTeryx
can barely remain standing.  He gives a little 'pheep' then looks out at the
stares of the crowd.

"Anybody want to volunteer to rub my crop? *warblemoan* When it's this full...
it needs help to move food.  Otherwise I get an awful stomachache..."

He looks pleadingly outward...

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R. Cody Buchmann                             ^.^  
  "ArchTeryx"                          "Of *course* I understand you--I speak 
email: rcb33483@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu       1406 intergalactic avian dialects!"  
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