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<h2>CHAPTER LII.</h2> 1029. Why are there so many bodily forms in the animal creation? Because the various creatures which God has created have different modes of life, and the forms of their bodies will be found to present a perfect adaptation to the lives allotted to them. Because, also, the beauty of creation depends upon the variety of objects of which it consists. And the greatness of the Creator's power is shown by the diversity of ends accomplished by different means. 1030. Why are birds covered with feathers? Because they require a high degree of warmth, on account of the activity of their muscles; but in providing that warmth it was necessary that their coats should be of the lightest material, so as not to impair their powers of flight; and feathers combine the highest warming power, with the least amount of weight. 1031. Why have ostriches small wings? Because, having long legs, they do not require their wings for flight; they are merely used to steady their bodies while running. 1032. Why are ostrich feathers soft and downy? Because, as the feathers are not employed for flight, the strength of the feather as constructed for flying is unnecessary, and the feathers therefore consist chiefly of a soft down. 1033. Why have water-birds feathers of a close and smooth texture? Because such feathers keep the body of the bird warm and dry, by repelling the water from their surface. A bird could scarcely move through the water, with the downy feathers of the ostrich, because of the amount of water the down would absorb. 1034. Why is man born without a covering? Because man is the only animal that can clothe itself. As in [Pg 262] the various pursuits of life he wanders to every part of the globe, he can adapt himself to all climates and to any season. <hr class="bible-verse" /> "Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?"—Job xxxv. <hr class="bible-verse" /> 1035. Why do the furs of animals become thicker in the winter than in the summer? Because the creator has thus provided for the preservation of the warmth of the animals during the cold months of winter. 1036. Why does a black down grow under the feathers of birds as winter approaches? Because the down is a non-conductor of heat, and black the warmest colour. It is therefore best adapted to keep in their bodily warmth during the cold of winter. 1037. Why has man no external appendage to his mouth? Because his hands serve all the purposes of gathering food, and conveying it to the mouth. Man's mouth is simply an opening; in other animals it is a projection. 1038. Why have dogs, and other carnivorous animals, long pointed teeth, projecting above the rest? Because as they have not hands to seize and controul their food, the projecting teeth enable them to snap and hold the objects which they pursue for food. 1039. Why is the under jaw of the hog, shorter and smaller than the upper one? Because the animal pierces the ground with its long snout, and then the small under jaw works freely in the furrow that has been opened, in quest of food. 1040. Why have birds hard beaks? Because, having no teeth, the beak enables them to seize, hold, and divide their food. 1041. Why are the beaks of birds generally long and sharp? Because the greater number of birds live by picking up small [Pg 263] objects, such as worms, insects, seeds, &c. The sharp beak, therefore, serves as a fine pincers, enabling them to take hold of their food conveniently. <hr class="bible-verse" /> "As the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them."—Ecclesiastes ix. <hr class="bible-verse" /> 1042. Why have snipes and woodcocks long tapering bills? Because they live upon worms which they find in the soft mud of streams and marshy places; their long bills, therefore, enable them to dig down into the mud after their prey. 1043. Why have woodcocks, snipes, &c., nerves running down to the extremities of their bills? Because, as they dig for their prey in the soft sand and mud, they cannot see the worms upon which they live. Nerves are, therefore, distributed to the very point of their bills (where, in other birds, nerves are entirely absent) to enable them to prehend their food. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-269.jpg" width-obs="300" height-obs="371" alt="" /> <div class="caption">Fig. 67.—SPOONBILL.</div> </div> 1044. Why have ducks and geese square-pointed bills? Because they not only feed by dabbling in soft and muddy soil, but they consume a considerable quantity of green food, and their square bills enable them to crop off the blades of grass. [Pg 264] <hr class="bible-verse" /> "Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein."—Psalm lxix. <hr class="bible-verse" /> 1045. Why has the spoon-bill a long expanded bill, lined internally with sharp muscular points? Because the bird lives by suction, dipping its broad bill in search of aquatic worms, mollusks, insects and the roots of weeds. The bill forms a natural spoon, and the muscular points enable the bird to filter the mud, and to retain the nourishment which it finds. 1046. Why has the spoon-bill long legs? Because it wades in marshy places to find its food. Its legs are therefore long, for the purpose of keeping its body out of the water, and above the smaller aquatic plants, while it searches for its prey. 1047. Why have the parrots, &c., crooked and hard bills? Because they live upon nuts, the stones of fruit, and hard seeds. The shape of the bill, therefore, enables them to hold the nut or seed firmly, and the sharp point enables them to split or remove the husks. 1048. Why can a parrot move its upper as well as its lower bill? Because by that means it is enabled to bring the nut or seed nearer the fulcrum, or joint of the jaw. It, therefore, acquires greater power, just as with a pair of nut-crackers we obtain increased power by setting the nut near to the joint. 1049. Why have animals with long necks large throats? Animals that graze, or feed from the ground, generally have a more powerful muscular formation of the throat than those which feed in other positions, because a greater effort is required to force the food upward, than would be needed to convey it down. 1050. Why are the bones of birds hollow? Because they are thereby rendered lighter, and do not interfere with the flight of the bird as they would do if they were solid. Greater strength is also obtained by the cylindrical form of the bone, and a larger surface afforded for the attachment of powerful muscles. [Pg 265] <hr class="bible-verse" /> "And my hand hath found, as a nest, the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the whip, or opened the mouth, or peeped."—Isaiah x. <hr class="bible-verse" /> 1051. Why do all birds lay eggs? Because, to bear their young in any other manner, would encumber the body, and materially interfere with their powers of flight. As soon as an egg becomes large and heavy enough to be cumbersome to the bird, it is removed from the body. A shell, impervious to air, protects the germ of life within, until from two to twenty eggs have accumulated, and then, although laid at different intervals, their incubation commences together, and the young birds are hatched at the same time. <hr class="chap" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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