Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-07-31

acquires great speed in running or
ieaping, the tendency is for one toe to
become greatly enlarged at the ex-
pense of others, as in the case of the
horse and kangaroo. The ostrich shows
this very plainly, and its two mighty
toes, one much the larger, enable it to
run with remarkable swiftness. The
other extreme is found in any bird
which keeps so much on the wing that
it's feet have fallen into disuse; thus
the very small feet and toes of the
chimney swift show how little use feet
may be in some birds.
In the cages and aviaries of the New
York Geological Park, we may see
many interesting ways in which birds
make use of their feet. The burrow-
ing owls make their little round bur-
rows with only their toes for pick and
shovel. They kick little circular hol-
low in their pile of sand, then work
downward, making trip after trip from
the entrance as deep as they have
dug, kicking the dirt behind them at
each step. Their cousins, the owls
which nest in hollow trees, use their
sharper talons only to catch their prey,
and then to hold it firmly while they
tear it to pieces with the beak.
Parrots use their feet for more
different purposes than any other kind
of bird-they are the monkeys of the
feathered world They cuimb wires or
branches one step after another, their
beak taking the place of third foot
in this style of locomotion. They pick
up food such as banana or nut, and
hold it while eating, turning it from
side to side, as we revolve an apple in
our hand, With their feet they preen
their plumage and push each other
aside when too closely crowded, and
not the least remarkable is the habit
which some parrots have, of hanging
by the feet from the top of their cage
when asleep.
The peculiar formation OF the foot
two toes in front and two behind
which is found in parrots and owls is
adapted to many other uses. The
woodpeckers have it, and here it en-
ables them fairly to defy gravity,
hitching up perpendicular tree trunks,
while road runners, variety of ground
cuckoo, with this same arrangement
of the toes, can run with wonderful
rapidity, often distancing horse, for
several hundred yards.
Perching birds have, as a rule, three
toes in front and one behind. They
have a most admirable arrangement.
whereby q certain tendon draws all the
toes close together whenever the heel
joint is bent, SO when a bird squats
down for the night it is in no danger
of falling, as the very settling down
on the branch clinches it's toes around
the support, only to be loosened by
rising.
The quail, grouse and related birds
make use of their toes in searching
among leaves and soft dirt for insects.
This is so pronounced a characteristic
of these birds that it has formed the
basis of several classifcations of the
group. A few of the smaller perch
ing birds also scratch, as the chewing,
which kicks the leaves backward with
both feet at once. In the winter the
toes of the ruffed grouse undergo a
curious adaptation, to meet the diff
culties of walking in soft snow. On
the sides of the toes a kind of horny
fringe grows out, which serves ad-
mirably as snC wshoe, to help support
the weight of the bird.
Spurs are found in pheasants, pea
cocks, turkeys, and many other birds,
and in structure correspond to claws
OR nails; but instead of at the end of
the toes, are placed up on the leg.
These are usually very sharp, and can
be made to do terrible execution in
fights between individual birds. The
members of the ostrich family have in
their toes and claws trenchant weap-
ons of offense, which they are sHlful
in using. A cassowary kicks outward
and downward and a well-landed blow
will kill man or beast instantly.
Coming to the hawks and eagles, we
have another class of feet, armed with
long, curved claws or talons. like the
owls, these are used to grasp the prey
and then to carry it away to nest or
cliff, where it is to be deyoured. The
harpy earle may be taken as the eX-
IRENE of this class-a bird with
enormously thick legs, and talons which
can pierce almost anything. The
strength of all these birds is very
great. A golden eagle which once gets
a fair grip cannot be made to let go,
and if person is caught in this grasp,
cutting the tendons of the birds legs
! is necessary to release the victim.
The osprey, common along our
shore, lives entirely on fsh-most
| difficult objects to catch and hold
so nature has provided this birds
toes with sandpaperlike surface,
which, combined with the incurved
talons and reversible outer toe, is
very efficient fish trap. The condor
and other vultures have no grasping
power in their feet, and can only hold
their prey firmly, while they tear it
apart with their beaks 1t is unneces-
! sary to mention the wonderful paddles
and propellers which we find among
web-footed birds, but as the snake
birds swim around their tank in pIr-
suit of their finny meals, a very Beau
tiful adaptation is apparent. Not only
is the fiat side of the leg used as a
cutwater on the recovery of the stroke,
but the toes curl and uncurl, brought
forward through the water rolled into
a small compass, and then spreading
out as broadly as possible on the re-
turn stroke. A more perfect propelling