Birds of prey have hooked, pointed beaks, for tearing ?esh; ?shing-birds have long, sharp beaks, for stabbing the ?sh in the water; the boring-birds have strong, pointed beaks, for boring into the bark of the trees to ?nd insects.
Lesson 12
More about Beaks
"Shall we finish our chat about the beaks of birds?" asked Fred.
"Oh yes, boys, do, please," said Norah. "I have been watching the ducks grope about in the mud with their broad flat bills, and I can"t make out why they are always doing it.""Well, we will talk about the duck"s bill first, if you like," said Fred. "Teacher had a real duck"s head to show us today. We took it in our hands and examined it for ourselves.
"The bill is, as you say, broad and flat, like a sort of shovel. It is not at all like any of the bills we have already examined. We found we could easily bend the mandibles in our fingers, for they are not hard. Such a bill therefore could not be meant for tearing flesh, for boring holes in trees, nor for stabbing its prey.
