What is the form and character
of the jaws of the pigeon (called the beak)? Offer
food, and watch the pigeons eat. How does a pigeon seize
and swallow food? Does it chew the food? Locate the
crop. If the pigeon chewed its food, would it have a crop?
Why? How does a pigeon drink? How does the chicken
drink?
What parts move in breathing?
Compare roughly the body temperature (by touch)
of man, the pigeon, and the frog. Which has the highest
temperature? which the lowest? How can you account
for the higher temperature of the bird? (Which of
the three must be able to endure long-sustained effort?
What is the effect on your own body of long-continued
effort?)
Identify the eyes, ears, and nostrils,
and describe their location. What are the advantages in
having the eardrum at the bottom of a canal? Is there
any disadvantage? What is the probable function of the
inner thin eyelid? How does it work?
Investigate the power of response of the special
senses. Which seems to be the most alert? State the
experiments which you used and your reasons for your
answers to this question. Which senses are most serviceable
in finding food? in protecting against enemies?
In what different ways are feathers
protective to the bird? Study the arrangement of the
feathers to find how protection is increased in this way.
How do the feathers and parts of feathers which lie next
the body differ from those which are on the outer surface?
What parts of the body are unprotected by feathers? How
are these protected, if at all?
Note the flexibility of the neck. Through what
part of the arc of a circle can the pigeon turn its head?
How is this especially important to birds?
What means of defense has the pigeon when
attacked?
Summary.
Make a list of the important adaptations of the
pigeon, (a) to flight, (b) to feeding, (c) to perching, and
(d) to protection.
Which is the most highly specialized, the fish, frog,
snake, or bird? Give reasons for your answers.
In what various ways are feathers of use to the bird?