HIS BODY
Did you ever think how well the bird is made to suit his life? Look at him.
To fit him to move through the air in flying, his shape is the same that men make their boats to move through water. It is sharp in front to cut his way as he goes through, for even the air needs to be cut.
It is narrower toward the back, and as he flies, the feet are drawn up or trail behind, and even the feathers lie backward. All this is so he can go swiftly through the air, and nothing, not even a feather, will hold him back.
To keep his body upright, so that he will not be top-heavy and tip over as he flies, his weight is mostly below the wings.
If we should try to go through the air as fast as a bird goes, we should find it very hard to breathe. But the bird is made for it. When you come to study his anatomy, you will see what a wonderful little creature he is.
He can sing while he is working very hard to fly upward. If you will try to sing while running up a hill, you will see how hard it is to do that.
A bird's head is joined to his neck at one place, something like a hinge. Other animals, like dogs and cats, have two hinges, or places of joining. That is why a bird is able to turn his head around so far that he can look down his own back. No other creature can do so.
Because of this, he is able to dress every feather on his body, and to sleep with his head laid back on his shoulder.