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. A second strange peculiarity which
distinguishes birds from all other animals is their beak. For as in
elephants the nostril serves in place of hands, and as in some insects
the tongue serves in place of mouth, so in birds there is a beak,
which, being bony, serves in place of teeth and lips. Their organs
of sense have already been considered.
All birds have a neck extending from the body; and the purpose of
this neck is the same as in such other animals as have one. This
neck in some birds is long, in others short; its length, as a
general rule, being pretty nearly determined by that of the legs.
For long-legged birds have a long neck, short-legged birds a short
one, to which rule, however, the web-footed birds form an exception.
For to a bird perched up on long legs a short neck would be of no
use whatsoever in collecting food from the ground; and equally useless
would be a long neck, if the legs were short. Such birds, again, as
are carnivorous would find length in this part interfere greatly
with their habits of life. For a long neck is weak, and it is on their
superior strength that carnivorous birds depend for their subsistence.
No bird, therefore, that has talons ever has an elongated neck. In
web-footed birds, however, and in those other birds belonging to the
same class, whose toes though actually separate have flat marginal
lobes, the neck is elongated, so as to be suitable for collecting food
from the water; while the legs are short, so as to serve in
swimming
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