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mals?

W. How different that is different from those of mam(See vol. i. page 196.) My breast-bone is long and flat.

Parrot. You have here the breast-bone (a), the collarbone (b), the shoulder-bone (c), and the coracoid-bone (d). The breast-bone is, as you see, like the keel of a vessel. This keel gives power to the muscles which draw down the wing, for these muscles are attached to it. In those birds which can fly swiftly, the keel projects very much; but in those which cannot fly, the keel is scarcely developed. In the Ostrich, for instance, the breast-bone is almost flat. If you look at the collar-bone, you will see that instead of two bones, as you have, they are joined in one. I dare say that when you have eaten chicken for dinner you have noticed this bone; it is called the merry-thought.

W. I see you have marked the shoulder-bone with a c. They are very long and narrow, much more so than mine; but I have not any bone like the one you mark d.

Parrot. No, that is an extra bone. It is not found in mammals. It is called the coracoidbone. The coracoid-bones are, you see, fixed to the ends of the collar-bones; they form, with the collar-bones, two buttresses, which keep the shoulders apart. These buttresses are very strong, and the upper arm-bones of my wings are fastened to them.

Ion. Now, you have talked to us about your fore-limbs and body. Are the legs of birds

Parrot. The difference in their framework is not remarkable; but you may notice that the number of our toes is never more than four. Three of these toes are directed in front, and one is turned backwards. Some birds have three toes, and others only two.

I think I have shown you the most remarkable points in my framework. Are you tired?

W. No, not yet. Is there anything worth noticing inside you?

Parrot. Yes; my stomach has not all the advantages that yours has.

Ion. What advantage has my stomach?

Parrot. Just this :-It is, you know, the duty of the stomach to reduce your food to a pulp. When you eat your food it is first chopped up into small pieces by your teeth; but I have no teeth!

W. I had forgotten that. Then I suppose that your stomach chops up the food, and digests it too.

Parrot. Yes. The food I eat passes down the gullet into the first stomach, which is called the craw, or crop. Here it is stored up, like the nuts in the cheek-pouches of the monkey, or the grass in the paunch of the cow.

Ion. I have noticed how full the crop of a chicken is after it has pecked up a great quantity of corn.

Parrot. The food is passed from the crop, little by little, into a second stomach, called

the ventriculus. This contains | with their beaks-of their wonderful power of song-and of their curious habit of emigration. I think, though, that I have talked quite long enough. Perhaps you will make up your memory-lesson.

the gastric juice which moistens the food. It is then passed onward into a third stomach, which is called the gizzard. This gizzard, especially in birds which feed on grain, contains powerful muscles, which grind the food to a pulp. Some birds assist the gizzard in its action by swallowing gravel.

W. Yes; I suppose that the stones of the gravel answer the purpose of teeth.

Parrot. I suppose so. The gizzard of the Ostrich has immense power; it is said to dissolve even iron and glass. However, the birds which eat animal food have much weaker gizzards.

But I am afraid it would cost a long time to describe all my internal organs. Enough. I intend to tell you something of the senses of birds-of the Hawk and others-and their wonderful power of sight. You would like to hear how the birds build their beautiful nests

Ada. Yes; I mean to write it.

BIRDS.

Birds differ from mammals because they are formed to fly in the air, and their young are born in eggs.

In order to fly they require great activity, lightness of body, great extent of surface, and provision for retaining heat in the body. The first two requirements are provided for by means of numerous air-vessels; while the others are supplied by the feathers which cover the body.

The construction of the chest, the ribs, the spine, the breastbone, and collar-bone, all contribute to assist the bird in flying; while the jaws, the neck, and stomach differ from those of mammals.

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A JOURNAL OF INSTRUCTION FOR THE FAMILY AND THE SCHOOL.

18th Week.

MONDAY.

Natural History.

BIRDS.

ORDER 1.-BIRDS OF PREY. Parrot. Good morning, Mas-tended ter Willie. Do you know that sion. Miss Ada and I, and these friends of ours, have been waiting for you for a long time?

W. Friends, indeed! Why, whom have you brought with you? Here is an eagle! And here are a crow, a woodpecker, a stilt, and a penguin.

Parrot. Quite true. And so without waiting for any more of your remarks, I shall call on my friend-at least, I won't say friend-my-the GOLDEN EAGLE, I should say, will address the meeting.

Golden Eagle. I am the king of the birds, just as the lion is the king of the beasts. I must say that it's rather infra dig. to be called out to give Natural History lessons.

W. What is an "infra dig. ?" Eagle. That is Latin, young gentleman. Get your dictionary. I have no objection to the diffusion of useful knowledge, and as the requisition submitted by your messenger was signed by a numerous and respectable body of constituents

(Raptores.)

on the present occa

Ion. What part of the world have you come from?

Eagle. I have travelled this morning from Norway. How you would like to go and see my palace! If I could only condescend to carry you on my back! Then we would mount through the bright sunshine, through dense damp clouds, until we reached the silent top of a high cliff-on a cliff so high that you are far away from all sounds, where you look down on the quiet rolling clouds, and look up on the bright glaring sun. Do go! When we reach there you will find my abode amongst the crags on the stony ledge of some precipice, which no man ever reach by his own efforts.

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You will find my palace to be built of sticks, twigs, rushes, heath, &c., and you will be welcomed by three eaglets, two princesses and a prince, who are now under the care of their mamma.

Ha-ha! ha-ha! I wish you could have visited me in GerW. Ah! that is true. many, where I lived a bachelor's Eagle. I have therefore, at life! My eyrie, as they call an considerable inconvenience, at-eagle's nest, was situated in a

forest, near the summit of a lofty tree. And a pretty roving life I led then! When the shepherd counted his sheep he would find that one was not to be found; the farmers missed their ducks and their hens; the partridges and the hares often missed themselves; while the kids, young fawns, and roebucks were too often missing from their homes. They never returned to their disconsolate friends to give an account of themselves, which was quite an unaccountable thing; at least, it was unaccountable until the natives of the district came one day to make inquiries at my nest. Now, I never understood arithmetic until these people began to count. I mounted to a place of safety, and I saw them count out from my "bachelor's crib" the skeletons of three hundred ducks and forty hares. Besides these there were hundreds of large bones, the remains of deer, sheep, and other animals, whose bodies were too large to be carried away entire.

I never went back to that nest, but soon afterwards I got married; and now-but I must make haste with my story; I promised to take home some dinner for the children.

Ion. How will you get it? Eagle. On my way home I shall perhaps see a flock of sheep. I can see from an immense distance; and when I have selected a nice young lamb I shall dart down upon it with a terrific swoop or rush: The whole weight of my heavy body will fall upon it, and with

one fell stroke of my foot I will dash it to the ground, or break its spine, or fracture its skull. That's the way I get my dinner!

L. And a very bad way too. In the first place, how can you tell whom the sheep belong to? And, secondly, it is a very cruel way.

Eagle. There miss! I'll excuse you for talking so, because you don't know better. The sheep, miss, belong to me! all that I can carry away are mine. The deer, too, are mine, and every other animal that I have need of. What right have mankind to them more than I have, I should like to know! Hav'nt I an appetite as well as yourself? And was not I made to eat?

I dare say you have heard how the King of Beasts pounces upon his prey. Did you not read in PLEASANT PAGES of the lion springing on the zebra? But he is obliged to steal upon his prey cautiously-to sneak up to it-to hide himself behind a rock-and to do many more unseemly things.

W. And you, too, steal upon your prey by hovering over it, at a great height. So that there is no such great difference between you.

Eagle. Indeed I may say, too, that you also steal upon your prey. Suppose that your man of prey-what do you call him?butcher-wished to kill the lamb that I mean to carry off, would he not delude the little one into his slaughter-house and kill it with a base knife? No, no! there is no such great difference between you and the lion as

there seems to be. Man may kill his prey, but the lion does it in a noble manner; and the eagle does the deed with a nobler grace than either.

With what swiftness and grace does he rush downwards! I should like you to see the Baldheaded Eagle of America when it fights with the Fish-hawk for its prey. I once saw a Fishhawk rise up in the air with a large fish A Bald

L. Yes; but I told you before I do not like to hear of such things they are very cruel.

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Eagle. Cruel, indeed! And is it not as cruel to stick sheep with a knife? What birds of prey are as cruel as your race are? Bah! there's not such a difference as there seems to be. When you are as old as I am you will know better.

W. And pray how old are you?

Eagle. I am in my 104th year now! but that is not a great age for an eagle. Some of our tribe are much older, and-(but here the speaker was interrupted by the chair).

Parrot. Being the president of this assembly, I feel it my duty, with great deference to the noble and learned speaker, to call his attention to the business of the meeting. The order of the day is, that each speaker describe the order of birds to which he belongs.

Eagle. I will not detain the meeting, but I beg to explain. Having offered to you an account of my habits, I now come forward to call your attention to my parts. Behold me!

The Golden Eagle.

W. (Aside.) Let us examine him regularly-his body, then his head, and then the limbs.

!

Eagle. My body is you see longer than that of birds in general; just get a tape rule and measure me-you may I'll not consider it a liberty. Now you see that I am three feet in length-that is a much larger body than yours, Master Willie. I'll next spread out my wings for you. There, you find that I measure eight feet across. I can also tell you that the extent of my wife's wings when they are opened is nine feet, and her body is three feet six inches long. My body is, too, very tough and muscular. My legs, you see, are worthy

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