The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1895-04-19
Peculiaritie. Of Bird4' Tongues.

FecuAaEAtAes OF nAF04' Tongues.
Every naturalist is acquainted with
the elaborate, spring-likc mechanism
by which woodpeckers and humming
birds are enabled to protrudc their
tongues with such rapidly for the
capture Of insect prey. Herr schenk-
ling supplies Q quantity Of in.
tcresting information ON the form of
the tongue aud hyoid of birds in gen
eral. The old idea that the wood
pecker trnnefxes it's prey with it's
sharp-tipped tongue Ia probably not
vet extinct, but Herr frevot stated
that the insects are agglutinated to
its tongue by the sticky secretion with
which It is copiously covered. Al
though the form Of the tongue usually
corresponds to the shape Of the bill,
there are exceptions to this rule, as,
for example, in the waders. kingfislcr
aud lloopoe, which. In spite Of their
long bills, only possess small cartilag-
inous tongues; in the pelican. indeed,
the tongue Is altogether rudimentary,
In most birds whose food consists of
seeds the tongue Is dart or awl-
shaped; In others. spatulate; rarely
vermiform or tubular. In some birds.
such as the owl, which swallow their
prey entire, the tongue is broad and
Serves as . mere shovel. In the hedge
sparrow, ppthhatcA. woodeock and 9th.
Grs the tongue l. hifa or trl6d at Its
apex, while In the l4mming birds the
tongue Is split into two branches al
most at its base. and Is used for act
ually gripping the small insects on
which these >resplendena little Great
ures subsist. In family Of parrots
the tongue - provided Mt it's apex
with 9 hrush Of some $50 to $40 hair:
like processes. in the parrots the
tongue is thick and fleslly. devoid Of
horny barbs or papiilae, and is oven
suspected to possess sense organs Of
taste. Herr Prevot concludes Ills con-
else but interesting paper with some
remarks on the influence of the form
Of the tongue In birds on their vary.
Ing powers OF articulation. 1t Is inter-
csting to note that tho parrots, the
form Of whose tongues most closely
resembles that Of man. are able to i'm.
itate his language more nearly than
any other birds.
Thawins by Electricity.
A new application Of electricity to
domestic use is worthy the attention
not only Of prudent houskeepcrs, but
also Of gas and water companies. The
Inconvenience Of having ones gas and
water service: frozen during severe
weather lie well known, and many Of
those who have experienced It III an
aggravated form during the late
frosts will be glad to know OF a meth
cd for its future prevention. One OF
the favorite electrical studies OF tho
day is electric heating. and an cleo.
trlclan, who was Investigating this
subject. made up his mind that 1t
could be employed successfully in
combating the frozen pipe nuisance.
He argued that resistance. suitably
protected. might be introduced into
those pipes which were most exposed,
and heated without difficulty under
conditions. unfavorable to the use Of
flame or hot water. or other ordinary
methods Of thawinR. He had special
wire made In which the current was
conducted through a highly resistant
metal, insulated with flre.pr6of me
dium that was also q non-conductor
Of electricity. The Whole could be
drawn down to make q compact wire