File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17536742254).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo02amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL suggests a malformation, will then be found to be closely related to the bird's manner of feeding, which is to drop the elongated lower mandible slightly below the surface as it skims rapidly over the water. In this way the bird gathers various forms of aquatic life for food. In a similar manner, observation shows that the singular^ re-curved or upturned bill of the Avocet (No. 3) is used to find food on the bottom in shallow water. When feeding, the bird swings the head from side to side through an arc of about 50°, the convexity of the lower mandible just grazing the mud or sand, while the delicate, pointed tip of the bill is turned up out of harm's way. Similarly the lamellirostral or platy bill of the Mallard (No. 2), the serrate or saw bill of the Merganser (No. 4), the spatulate bill of the Spoonbill (No. 7), and the tenuirostral or slender needle-like bill of the Hummingbird, indeed the bills of all birds, will be found to be related to the character of the food of the bird in question or to the manner of obtaining it. On studying the feet, wings and tails, a similar close con- nection between form and function is seen to exist; and, while it is necessary so to describe and name a form that the terms em- ployed become a part of the exact language of science, termin- ology is only a means to an end, and should indicate to us the cause of the widely different types of structure which are en- countered in nature and of which only a few are illustrated in this new exhibit. f. m. c.
Text Appearing After Image:
MEXICAN CODICES. §;N this Journal for October, 1901, there is a brief notice of the exhibition of the reproductions of the several ancient )\Iexican manuscripts for which the Museum is indebted to the Duke of Loubat. To this interesting exhibit tliere has recently been added, as a gift from the Peabody Museum of Har- vard University, a reproduction of a beautiful example of ancient Mexican picture-writing. The re-discovery of this codex is due to the indefatigable researches of Mrs. Zelia Nuttall, in whose honor it has been named the Codex Nuttall by the Peabody 34

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