The beak is the only thing most birds have in place of a hand, and it is wonderful to see how many things they can do with it.
Orioles use it as a needle, in making the nest. With it they weave strips of soft bark or strings, back and forth, in and out, to make the firm pocket they hang on the elm-tree (see Fig. 1).
A woodpecker's beak is a chisel or pick, to cut a deep hole in a tree trunk for a nest ([Fig. 2]). With a nuthatch it is a hammer, to crack the nut he has wedged into a crevice in the bark so tightly it cannot slip.
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
Some birds use the beak to dig in the ground, as the bank swallows, while the barn swallows make it a trowel, to carry and plaster mud ([Fig 3]). All of them use it as a hand to feed themselves, and a brush and comb to dress their feathers.
