Perhaps in all the realm of nature there is no more forceful witness for Divine creation than birds.  And here is the reason:  there is a bigger gulf between reptiles * and birds than between most any two other groups adjacent in the "evolutionary ladder" — and practically all evolutionists are agreed that "birds developed from a reptilian type of animal, and that the feathers probably developed from scales."

            * Evolutionists are hard-pressed to find any connections whatever between birds and supposed ancestors, reptiles.  One author says, "It is difficult to think of birds as being even remotely related to reptiles."  (The Strange World of Nature, p.52).

            The Archaeopteryx often has been referred to as being intermediate between reptiles and birds.  A careful examination, however, indicates it had very typical bird feathers, feet, and wings adapted for flight.  Practically all of its aberrant features (such as clawed digits of the wings) are to be found in some form in some living birds.

Here is a summary of the argument against evolution, when considering the miracle of bird construction.  Remember, evolution teaches the slow and GRADUAL change of one genus into another; how then can evolution account for all the radical differences that exist between reptiles and birds?  How can evolution account for the complete change of the covering, from scales to feathers?  And explain the many vast simultaneous changes made in body structure?  For example, many of the bones of a bird are hollow, and some have air sacs, in addition to lungs.  In birds heavy jaws and teeth (that would put too much weight too high and too far forward) have been removed and there is provided a gizzard that grinds the food.  The gizzard is lower and farther back in the body than jaws and teeth.  As we proceed with this discussion, many other radical differences between birds and reptiles and other animals will be mentioned.  IF such great differences were brought to pass by gradual changes, there MUST of necessity be some evidences somewhere of the intermediate changes — but there are none. **

            **  J. Augusta, in "Prehistoric Animals" (p. 42) seeking to trace the ancestry of birds, says, "the Saurian (reptilian) arche-ancestors of the birds, which we do not yet know well. . . .seem to have gone over to walking and running on their hind legs only.  Their bodies were still covered with scales.  At a further stage of evolution, FOR WHICH WE STILL HAVE NO PROOFS BUT WHICH WE MUST ASSUME TO HAVE EXISTED, the 'pseudosuchian saurian' changed into a kind of 'pre-bird' — proavis — with its scales changed into feathers and already able to climb about on the trunks and branches of trees.  By the transformation of its scales into feathers (only in the imagination of the evolutionist). . . there arose in the course of the further evolution of the proavis a kind of parachute, which allowed it to glide smoothly down from branch to branch and from a tree to the ground.  That was the first beginning of flight, . . .with the gradual transformation of the proavis into the archebird, and then of the archebird into the bird."

            Read again the above amazing statement by Dr. Augusta, noted Professor of Paleontology.  He admits there is absolutely NO PROOF of any gradual change from "scales to feathers" — and so HE INVENTS A "PREBIRD" that he calls the "proavis" to fill that gap!  WHEN THE ARDENT EVOLUTIONIST LACKS SCIENTIFIC FACT AND PROOF, he imagines the "missing links" and writes them in his books as though they were fact — and our impressionable children and youth take it as gospel truth!           

AS LONG AS THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF GRADUAL CHANGE FROM "SCALES TO FEATHERS," THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION MUST FOREVER REMAIN A THEORY, SUPPORTED ONLY BY THE VIVID IMAGINATION OF ITS OVER-ENTHUSIASTIC ADHERENTS. 

A reptile is a reptile — designed and adapted for its particular mode of life.  And there is ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE WHATEVER OF THE SUPPOSED "GRADUAL CHANGE" OF SCALES INTO FEATHERS, or of the development of wings, the loss of teeth, the development of exceptional sight and the hundred and more other colossal differences between birds and reptiles.  A partly developed organism (such as a bird's wing, claw, bill, feather, etc.) IS OF NO VALUE WHATEVER TO A LIVING ANIMAL, and such "partly developed" organisms are nowhere found in nature.  Evolution exists ONLY in the minds of its devotees.

            Carl Welty, writing on Birds as Flying Machines, (Scientific American"), sums up the "specialties" that birds have that reptiles do not have, that make birds birds:

            "Birds were able to become flying machines largely (because of) gifts of feathers, wings, hollow bones, warm-bloodedness, a remarkable system of respiration, a strong, large heart and powerful breast muscles.  These adaptations all boil down to the two prime requirements for any flying machine: high power and low weight."

            It has been observed many times by others that "every major transformation of an organ is, in general, correlated with a greater or lesser change OF THE ENTIRE ORGANISM.  The acquisition of flight in birds, to mention a drastic case, involved A REBUILDING OF THE ENTIRE SKELETON, loss of teeth, change of metabolism, change of the sense organs, of the brain, of most of the behaviour patterns, etc . The organism seems to change as a harmonious entity, and NOT by random mutation of its parts." (Systematics and the Origin of Species, by Ernst Mayr; published by The American Museum of Natural History). *

            * Because of their traditional belief that evolutionary changes are a "SLOW PROCESS," evolutionists themselves find it hard to believe their theory.  Ernst Mayr, writing in "Systematics and the Origin of Species, from the Viewpoint of a Zoologist." (American Museum of Natural History), says, "It must be admitted that it is a considerable strain on one's credulity to assume that finely balanced systems, such as certain organs (the eye of vertebrates, or bird feathers) could be improved by random mutations. . . .However, the objectors to random mutations have so far been unable to advance any alternative explanation that was supported by substantial evidence."  WHY DO EVOLUTIONISTS INSIST ON REJECTING THE TRUE EXPLANATION OF DIVINE CREATION? 

            Slight, gradual, random mutations do not account for such drastic changes involved in "the acquisition of flight in birds," for, to be successful, the entire body had to be rebuilt at the same time in order to make flight possible!  The phenomenon of radical changes such as the development of flight in birds, precludes the idea of gradual change by random mutations.  The only way a bird could possibly come into being is by a SUDDEN CREATION; so the gradual change from reptiles to birds is ruled out as an impossibilty.

            Let us further consider in detail how birds are witnesses for God and Creation.

            (1)  Birds are "Miracle" Creatures that give most forceful evidence of Special Design;  they are the work of a Master workman.  Note:

            (A)  The bones and skeleton of birds 

            A mammal bone is heavy, dense; but the bones of a bird are hollow, filled with spongy network and engineered for air capacity and strength.  As a bird breathes, it is inflooded with air to its very marrow!  The air cavities in the bones are directly connected with its lungs.  Yet, strength has not been sacrificed, for the light, hollow bones are stiffened with ridges, where needed, according to advanced engineering principles.  We have before us a drawing of a longitudinal section, showing the internal structure of the metacarpal bone of a vulture's wing.  "The braces within the bone are almost identical in geometry with those of the Warren truss commonly used in steel structure."

            "Combining both lightness and strength, surely the bones of a bird could not have been more wonderfully engineered."  (Eugene Burns, Ranger-Naturalist).

            "Although a bird's skeleton is extremely light, it is also very strong and elastic — necessary characteristics in an air frame subjected to the great and sudden stresses of aerial acrobatics."  (Carl Welty, in "Birds as Flying Machines," in the "Scientific American").  Mr. Welty in his article shows a picture of a cross-section of the frontal bone of the skull of a crow, revealing the hollow bone, with a marvelously intricate and obviously designed braced interior.  The outcome is, says Mr. Welty, "The skull of a crow achieves the desirable aerodynamic result of making the bird light in the head.  Heavy jaws are sacrificed: their work is largely taken over by the gizzard.  The skull of the crow accounts for less than 1% of its total weight."

            Evolutionists recognize the difficulty of accounting for the phenomenon of the bird's light bone structure.  C. H. Waddington, writing in the Scientific American says,

            "There are adaptations of such a kind that it is difficult to see how they could ever be responses to external circumstances.  For instance, birds tend to have hollow bones, by which they gain in lightness without losing strength.  It is impossible to see how external conditions could directly produce hollowness of bones."

            Oh that they would acknowledge the Divine Designer! 

            (B)  The feathers, wings and flight of birds

            A bird is actually a "living airplane."  "It flies by the same aerodynamic principles as a plane," says John H. Storer ("Bird Aerodynamics," in the Scientific American);  "and uses much of the same mechanical equipment — wings, propellers, steering gear, even slots and flaps for help in taking off and landing." 

            "Where is a bird's propeller?" continues Dr. Storer, "Astonishing as it may seem, every bird has a pair of them. . . . They can be seen in action best in a slow motion picture of a bird in flight.  During the downward beat of the wings the primary feathers at the wings tips STAND OUT ALMOST AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE REST OF THE WING AND TO THE LINE OF FLIGHT.  These feathers are the propellers.  They take on this twisted form for only a split second during each wing beat.  But this ability to change their shape and position is the key to bird flight.  Throughout the entire wing beat they are constantly changing their shape.  ADJUSTING AUTOMATICALLY TO AIR PRESSURE AND THE CHANGING REQUIREMENTS OF THE WING AS IT MOVES UP AND DOWN.  This automatic adjustment is made possible by special features of the feather design.  The front vane of a wing-tip feather is much narrower than the rear vane.  Out of this difference comes the force that twists the feather into the shape of a propeller.  As the wing beats downward against the air, the greater pressure against the wide rear vane on each of these feathers twists that vane upward until the feather takes on the proper shape and angle to function as a propeller. . . .(So) with their specialized design the primary feathers are beautifully adapted to meet the varied demands of bird flight."           

            That is a rather long quotation, but we thought it important — because it shows MARVELOUS DESIGN for an intended purpose.  A bird's wing is self-adjusting, as though it were controlled by a highly complicated, automatic electronic machine that re-acts in a thousandth part of a second!  Honestly now, could such an intricate, complicated, self-adjusting arrangement in the wings and feathers of a bird, that make flight possible, come to pass by "random mutations?"

            The feathers are miracles of ingenuity.  Allen Devoe, writing on The Miracle of Birds (American Mercury, Oct., '53), says,           

            "A feather may seem to be only a central shaft with projections on either side.  It is much more. Each projection (called a vane) from the feather stem is composed of numbers of parallel rods, the barbs.  A barb is itself virtually a complete miniature feather, with extremely fine side-projections called barbules.  Look still closer with a lens and it is revealed that on these barbules are tinier barbicels, and on these are almost infinitestimal hooklets.  The hooklets mesh the barbs; the whole vane is one light, perfect interweave.  Barbules and barbicels on a single feather MAY NUMBER OVER A MILLION!" 

            No wonder Elliott Coues, the famous ornithologist, said, "A bird to me is as wonderful as the stars!"

            Every feather is a mechanical wonder.  The quill is strong, light, hollow, tough, elastic, and tapers to a fine point with geometrical precision — exactly what is needed.

            The miracle of a bird's feathers is further seen:

            "Feathers, the bird's most distinctive and remarkable acquisition, are magnificently adapted for fanning the air, for insulation against the weather and for reduction of weight.  It has been claimed that for their weight they are stronger than any wing structure devised by man. . . . When a bird is landing or taking off, its strong wingbeats separate the large primary wing feathers at their tips, THUS FORMING WING-SLOTS * which help prevent stalling.

            * "Many birds have on their wings a little group of feathers known as the alula or 'bastard wings.'  These come into operation. . . .when the bird is in danger of losing lift or stalling.  The 'alula' then acts as a safety device.  Actually, it was not until Sir Frederick Handley Page invented the now famous 'slotted wing' anti-stalling device, which has done so much to make airplanes safer, THAT IT WAS REALIZED THAT BIRDS HAVE HAD IN THE ALULA THE SAME SAFETY GEAR FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL." (p. 193, "Nature Parade").  (Caps ours).

It seems remarkable that man took so long to learn some of the fundamentals of airplane design which even the lowliest English sparrow demonstrates to perfection." (See "Bird Aerodynamics," by John H. Storer, Scientific American, April, 1952).

            "Beside all this, feathers cloak birds with an extraordinarily effective insulation — so effective that they can live in parts of the Antarctic too cold for any other animal.

            "The streamlining of birds of course is the envy of all aircraft designers. . . .The feathers shape it to the utmost in sleekness."

            Dr. Gray, writing on "The Flight of Animals," in the 1954 Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institute, p. 290, says,

            "A bird's front limbs have been COMPLETELY specialized for flight." (Caps ours; note: the transformation — according to evolution — from legs to wings is COMPLETE, not partial).  "Each wing forms a structure of peculiar beauty and complexity. . . . UNLIKE THAT OF ANY OTHER FLYING ANIMAL, the wing surface in a bird is made up of feathers, all fitting together to form an efficient lifting surface and yet capable of being neatly furled when not in use."  Again we see, from expert authority, that birds' wings are specialized organs that are COMPLETE and perfectly designed for their intended use, with no evidence whatever of being in the process of gradual change from one form of life to a higher form.  We ask the evolutionist, WHEN and HOW did this transformation take place from legs to wings, and where is the evidence of transitional forms?  There is NO evidence of transitional forms from saurian (lizard-like) limbs to birds' wings, save in the imagination of evolutionists!

            Birds are by far the fastest creatures on our planet.  The streamlined peregrine falcon can dive on its prey at speeds up to 180 miles an hour (some authorities say 250 miles an hour).  And yet their great speed is under perfect control!  The African eagle, swooping down at its prey at a speed of over 100 miles an hour can brake with "such stunning skill, by spreading wings and tail in a aerial skid-stop, that it comes to a dead halt in the space of 20 feet!"

            Authors wax eloquent indeed as they describe the wonders of bird's wings and bird flight.

            Actually, hundreds of "special adaptations" in as many different birds have been observed by naturalists.  For example, the wing and tail feathers of most owls are covered with a soft pile — an effective "silencer" equipment: quite necessary when one remembers that a large part of an owl's diet consists of mice, whose ears are very sensitive, hence the owl's need for silent flight becomes apparent.  Incidentally, the Indian fishing owl (Ketupa), which lives primarily on fish, does NOT nave this "silencer."

            Note again, the shape of a bird's wing is clearly related to its habitat and manner of life.  Thus the 11-foot-long wing span of the wanderer albatross, makes it one of the most efficient soaring birds in the world; the albatross lives in regions where there is always a strong wind to enable it to rise.  But such wings would be useless where there is not a prevailing wind.  In fact, the albatross is so poor at taking-off that it can only with difficulty get off the ground without the aid of wind.  On the other hand, birds which live among trees or underbrush have, of necessity, short, rounded wings.  What they lose in flight ability is compensated for in safety: long wings would get caught in branches more readily, and lead to their destruction.  God made the birds so that they could live and thrive in their peculiar habitat.

            (C)  The sight and hearing of birds

            An owl scans the dark woods with eyes ten times as sensitive to faint light as ours.  Most birds have prodigious eyesight.  In some birds the eyes are so big in relation to the head that there is scarcely room for them in the skull!  Nature has also endowed them with a third eyelid that can be drawn back and forth across their eyes as a "windshield wiper" as they rush through the high sky, constantly encountering bits of dust and other irritants.  One of the outstanding miracles of the eyes of birds is their remarkable "telescopic adaptability" for rapid adjustment.

            The swallow, darting swiftly through the air, is able to see the tiniest insect as it swoops down through the sky.  A bird of prey, even at high altitude, can perceive a small object far below and in its lightning descent (its eyes constantly change focus) so that it is able to snatch its prey without a crash landing."  (p. 269, "Miracles of Science").

            The robin "has unbelievably acute hearing.  When a robin on your lawn stops and cocks it head to one side, it is listening to the soft stirring of an earthworm under the grass."

           (D)  the legs and feet of birds

            The legs and feet, including claws, of birds show as much design for intended purpose as other features of their anatomy.

            A bird cushions its landing with its legs, which consist of three single rigid bones, with joints that work in opposite directions — thus making an amazingly efficient shock absorber.

            Many people wonder why a sleeping bird does not topple off its perch.

            "Attached to the ligaments which operate a bird's toes, is a very long tendon which runs nearly the whole length of the leg, and broadens into a muscle on the front thigh.  When the bird perches, its knees and ankles bend and automatically tighten the tendon, which contracts the bird's toes so that they grip tightly.  The bird is then virtually locked to its perch."  Who invented this natural "safety lock mechanism" so obviously designed for the benefit of the sleeping bird?

            The legs and feet of birds are designed for perching, running, swimming, wading, climbing, scratching, tearing, or holding.  Birds of prey have strong feet, armed with sharp, hooked talons.  The foot of the climbing birds, like the parrot and the woodpecker, is equipped with two toes in front and two behind.  Scratching birds, like chickens and turkeys, have short, thick toes, fitted with stout, blunt claws.  The wading birds, as the crane and heron, are long and slender-legged for walking in the water of lakes and marshes.  Many of the swimming birds, like ducks and swans, have webbed feet.  God is very wise:  He equips every creature perfectly to meet its needs — even to the "fur"-covered foot of the ptarmigan, to protect it against the extreme cold.

            The thick foot of the ostrich is a weapon of defense; on the other hand the peregrine (falcon) has a hind toe like a steel spike, with which it knocks its prey senseless when it hits it in its power-dive, a lightning-like "stoop" from above.

The Remarkable Feet of the Jacana 

            Perhaps in no other bird's feet is "design" for an intended purpose so evident as in the Jacana.

            "The jacana has most remarkable feet.  It has very long spreading toes which are exceptionally slender and weak.  At first glance it would seem that Nature erred in giving this creature such freakish equipment, but she didn't.  The jacana spends most of its life stepping from one floating lily pad to another in search of food.  Its outlandish feet distribute its weight evenly over the wide surface of the pads, enabling them to support the bird."  In all seriousness, HOW could a bird with short stubby feet EVER develop the long, slender feet and spreading toes necessary to walk on lily pads?  Every time a bird with short stubby feet tried to walk on a lily pad, it would sink, and the poor thing would die of frustration in less than a week — if it did not drown before that!

            And so the jacana, unintentionally, becomes another witness for God and divine creation, for it is clear to all that the feet off the jacana HAD to be as they are, from the very beginning, in order to do what the jacana does — walk on lily pads.  FEET ANY LESS THAN OR ANY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THE JACANA HAS WOULD NOT WORK AS THE JACANA USES THEM.  No theory demanding "gradual change" by chance mutations can account for a highly specialized organ as the feet of the Jacana.

            Speaking of the special equipment that a duck has, one author says, "Notice the feet of the duck:  at the end of each leg he has an ingenius paddle, or oar, to drive him through the water.  Either on the surface or underneath, the duck is able to proceed because of his webbed feet.  The question arises, did he take to the water because he had webbed feet, or did he get webbed feet because he took to the water?  It is evident the latter cannot be the case — for what would the duck have done in the water while he was getting or developing those web feet?  Also, the down on a duck that keeps him safe in the water MUST have been provided him in the very hour of his origin, or the water would have been as fatal to him as it is to a chicken today!"

            (E)  The bills and beaks of birds

            The bills or beaks of birds are very efficient, and carefully designed devices for obtaining food, and for protection, in some cases.  A beak consists of an upper and a lower mandible, or jaw.  Birds which live on tough-shelled nuts usually have strong, heavy bills so they can crack the shell.  Birds like hawks, owls and eagles have hooked bills so they can tear their prey apart.  Scavengers like vultures, also have hooked bills, but they are much weaker, for the flesh of a dead animal will tear off much more easily than that of a live one.  Boring birds are furnished with a long, straight and pointed beak with which to dig into bark in search of grubs and insects.  The goose and duck are furnished with a spoon bill, suitable to get food from the bottom of lakes and pools.

            Let us mention a few of the strikingly different kinds of bills, among the many hundreds, that birds have — and note especially that they are designed for a PURPOSE.  The bill of the curlew bends down, that of the avocet curves up, whereas that of the snipe is almost straight.  The bill of the stork is pointed, that of the spoonbill is flat, and that of the flamingo has a sharp, right-angle bend in it.  The beak of the falcon is hooked, that of the touraco is short, that of the adjutant is long, that of the toucan is enormous and that of the pelican carries a pouch underneath.  Who is responsible for this variety?  Consider the fact that the beak of a bird is designed for a purpose: that it might eat a particular kind of food.

            The bill of the northern shrike is hard; it is used as a hammer.  He kills mice and small birds by giving them a sudden blow with his bill on the back of their heads.

            The woodcock lives largely on worms.  He has a comparatively long bill that is flexible at the end; with this he probes into worm holes in search of his food.  The flexible end of his bill enables him to probe readily until the worm is discovered.

            The long-billed curlew has a beak well situated to drag crabs and worms from their holes in the sand.

            The woodpecker finch of the Galapagos has a most curios method of obtaining its food.  It picks up a long, thin cactus thorn in its short bill — admirably adapted to holding the thorn — and with it pokes out insects hiding in the crevices of bark and wood!  When the insect runs out of hiding, the bird drops the prod and eats the insect!

            With its arched, blunt beak, the flaming ibis dredges its food out of mud banks.

            Of all bills, that of the pelican is one of the strangest.  Diving for fish, it uses its more-than-foot-long bill like a mechanical scoop.  When the fish is caught, it is stowed away in a fleshy, pouch-like sack that extends between the two sides of the lower mandible.  From this reservoir the pelican swallows the fish at its leisure.  But the pouch serves yet another purpose.  The pelican partially digest its food, then regurgitates it into this same pouch.  Then the young pelicans eat right out of this pouch, when father or mother (both parents take turns feeding their young) opens its mouth for "junior" to get his meal!  What bird would "invent" such a system to feed its young?  But God has plans of His own, and these are seen in nature on all sides, reflecting the fact of special design in creation.

            The tooth-billed pigeon of the Samoan Islands has a highly specialized bill that has notches like teeth in the lower mandible.  It feeds mostly on the fruit of a fig tree, and this bill is admirably designed for that purpose.

            The shoe-bill stork has a great, broad bill, depressed in the middle and hooked at the end — suggesting a large wooden shoe.  The stork, you will recall, is a voiceless bird.  But the shoe-bill stork claps its mandibles together, and so expresses itself in times of danger or excitement!  Such phenomena in nature are NOT the result of "survival of the fittest" — for certainly a "voice" is an asset.  But this peculiar organ (the shoe-bill) was so designed by the Great Creator who fashioned many kinds of life to carry many lessons to the world of men.

            The humming bird has a long slender bill that serves as a drinking straw to extract nectar from the long "throats" of flowers.

            The flamingo has a built-in sieve in its bill with which it sifts small shellfish and other titbits from the mud of shallow water.

            The plant cutter birds (Phytotmidae) have conical bills that have fine saw cuts along the edges of their mandibles, and with these cutting edges they cut off pieces of leaves, buds and fruit for food.

            The wood hewers of Central America have bills that curve downward and are long and slender.  With these they search for insects and larvae in the cracks in bark and in tree crannies — and so the Creator of all, Who has adjusted ALL life and made it interdependent, provides a special bird as a "tree surgeon" to protect trees from the ravages of insects!  Did such a provision of benevolence for trees "just happen" — or was it all in the original blueprint, in the original plan of the Creator.

            The woodpecker lives chiefly on insects lodged in the bodies of the trees (often in decayed parts).  Its bill is straight, hard and sharp — like a chisel — so it can dig and bore after insects.

            The gannet, which feeds on fish, has the sides of its bill irregularly jagged in order to hold more securely its slippery victims.

            The mandibles of a heron are long and pointed, and the beak is especially suitable for spearing small fish and frogs in shallow water.

            The snipe has a long soft bill with a nerve going to its end, giving it feeling.  The tip of the bill is moveable.  Because the bird cannot see down in the mud, it must depend on this type of a bill to locate worms, for food.

The Strange Bills of the Nuthatch, Bower-birds and Crossbills 

            Of all the hundreds of types of bills, we consider these three among the most peculiar.

            The nuthatch will wedge a nut in a crack of the bark of a tree.  Pivoting on its legs, it strikes the nut with the full force of its body with its beak, which serves as a hatchet — and it certainly knows how to use its hatchet bill to best advantage!  While opening a nut, "it almost seems to prefer to hang head downwards, probably because this position adds power to its strokes."

            Two species of bower birds actually paint the twigs and grass stems that form the walls of their bowers.  One of these, the spotted bower, was filmed in the act.

            "The paint used was chewed-up grass mixed with saliva, and the actions of the bird when painting were . . . as follows:  The bill, exuding paint, was wiped repeatedly with short jabs, first on one side and then on the other, on the stems forming the bower walls." (The Strange World of Nature, p. 109).

            The crossbill "has one of the strangest tools (its bill) in nature, and surely one of the most specialized."  Its peculiar crossed mandibles are used to pry apart the cones of certain pine trees.

Here is how it is done: 

            "The bird inserts its opened bill under the scale of a fir cone and levers it up with a lateral movement.  The lower mandible, which is applied to the body of the cone, acts as a fulcrum, while the upper part of the crossed bill does the work,  While the scales are held apart in this manner, THE SINGLE SEED, with its delicate wing attached, is then removed by the tongue." (Ibid).

             If evolution, with its need for countless ages of time, had to be depended on, the poor crossbill (before it was the crossbill) would have starved to death a million times over — that is, if it had to depend only on the seeds hidden in pine cones.  And if it lived on other types of seeds, it would never need its crossbill!  This highly specialized organ (the bill of the crossbill) had to be made AS IT IS, at once, to work as it works.

            Let us raise one more question relative to birds' bills. How does the evolutionist explain the outlandishly large bill of the South American Toucan?  The bill of the toucan is so large it makes the bird look ludicrous.  It is about half as big as the bird itself, and seems unnecessary — except that the toucan is at catching fruit tossed to it.  Fortunately, though the bill is gigantic and looks heavy, it is actually hollow and light, supported by an interior network of interlacing bony fibers.

            How can evolution account for this awkward bill?  It is no advantage, in this instance, as far as eating is concerned, for the toucan lives mostly on fruit.  Did the Creator want to make a bird bill obviously not designed to give the bird an advantage in eating habits?  God is sovereign in His creative activities.  "Natural selection" and "random mutations" leading to advantage do NOT explain the bill of the toucan — but Divine Creation does!

                      (F)  Other unique features of the anatomy of birds

                        The heart and lungs of birds are truly phenomenal.  The heart of the bird is the largest in proportion to its body size of any animal, and its rate of beating, sometimes as high as 600 beats per minute, is far more rapid than man's.  And through the bird's heart is pumped "the richest blood in the world" — i.e., blood with the highest count of oxygen-carrying red cells.  A bird maintains a very high temperature (about ten degrees higher than man's) which assures a steady flow of energy, regardless of weather conditions.  And this, incidentally, makes the bird ravenous, which in turn means that each bird will consume enormous quantities of insects, and so keep down insect pest populations.

             "The lungs of man constitute about 5% of his body volume; but the respiratory system of a duck, in contrast, makes up 20% of the body volume (2% lungs and 18% air sacs).  The anatomical connections of the lungs and air sacs in birds seems to provide a one-way traffic of air through most of the system, bringing in a constant stream of unmixed fresh air, whereas in the lungs of mammals stale air is mixed inefficiently with the fresh.  IT SEEMS ODD THAT NATURAL SELECTION HAS NEVER PRODUCED A STALE AIR OUTLET FOR ANIMALS.  The air sacs of birds apparently approach this ideal more closely than any other vertebrate adaptation."  (Scientific American: article by Carl Welty, on "Birds as Flying Machines").

                       Mr. Welty says that the respiratory system of birds is far superior to that of mammals — and wonders WHY evolution (natural selection) did not do as much for mammals as for birds!

            This is indeed a difficult problem for the evolutionist, but it is not difficult for those who believe that all nature is the handiwork of the Sovereign, all-wise God, who gives to each form of life blessings and abilities best suited to their status and function in life.

            Another writer calls attention to the "super-efficiency of the bird's respiratory system."  Because the air passes through the air sacs as well as through its lungs, "the bird gets oxygen when it inhales and also when it exhales, because the air passes through the lungs to the air sacs and, on its return, again passes through the lungs.  The lungs consequently receive two doses of oxygen."  So DIVINE DESIGN works wonders for birds that evolution is unable to achieve for more advanced forms of life — according to evolution's adherents. 

            A thousand and one "miracles of anatomy" could be cited that make birds among the most marvelous of all God's creatures.  Some of these miracles of construction are:

            The tongue of a woodpecker.  To extract grubs from trees, a woodpecker has a tongue so long it curves over inside the bird's head and is actually anchored, not in the throat where one would expect, but IN FRONT OF ITS EYES, to give it more length!

            The uncanny time-sense in many birds.  Many coastal birds have a built-in time-sense so precise that after inland trips they return to shore for feeding AT THE EXACT HOUR WHEN THE TIDE IS RIGHT.

            (2)  Birds' Eggs give most convincing Evidence of Special Creative Design.

            An egg looks simple enough — but it is "incredibly complex," from the air space at its end to the twisted cords that suspend the yoke in perfect tension at the eggs center.  The yoke is something like a boat: it is lighter at the top where the germ cell is.  No matter what way the egg is turned, the germ cell, being in the light top section, is always on top, near the warmth of the mother's breast!  The egg shell has tiny funnel-shaped pores that let the embryo breathe. If you varnish an egg, the embryo dies because it needs oxygen that seeps through the pores of the egg. 

            A baby chick starts to breathe with its lungs two days before it is hatched.  There is enough air in the little air space at the end of the egg to keep the chick breathing for just two days.  Then, when the air runs out, the chick jerks its head, and what would seem to be its death struggle, gasping for breath, proves to be the needed agitation of its head, with the temporary hard cone on its soft bill, that breaks the egg shell, and lets the chick get out of its shell!  SUCH AN INGENIOUS ARRANGEMENT THAT CAUSES WHAT WOULD APPEAR TO BE A DEATH STRUGGLE TO TERMINATE IN LIBERATION AND LIFE, IS THE WORK OF AN INTELLIGENT BEING OF VAST RESOURCES OF THOUGHT AND ACHIEVEMENT.

            The Master of all life has so created its various departments as to preserve what we have before referred to — "the balance of nature."  This carefully DESIGNED "balance of nature" can be traced to the very origins of life: eggs; for the NUMBER of eggs wild birds lay varies from one to thirty each season.  Birds which build their nests in protected places usually lay few eggs; on the other hand, domestic fowl, whose eggs are used by man, lay many eggs — obviously so designed for man's benefit!  A quail, whose nest is on the ground where it is subject to more hazards, will lay up to thirty eggs, while the eagle, whose nest is on  a high cliff, or in a tall tree, lays only two eggs.

            Even the color of eggs is well planned by the Supreme Architect — and all with a purpose in view.  Woodpeckers lay white eggs; most other birds lay eggs with colored or spotted shells.  The nests of Woodpeckers are in the dark hollows of trees, and white eggs are more easily seen in a dark place when the mother bird returns from the bright sunlight of the open.  Birds which lay eggs in open nests on the ground usually lay eggs with brown spots.  This makes them look much like stones and clumps of dead plants that surround the nest.  Did the birds select the color of the eggs they lay?  Of course not.  Who did then?  The Great Designer, who wisely created all things.  The red-wing blackbird, which builds its nest in bushes near water or in the tall grasses in the marsh, lays three to five pale-blue eggs, streaked with purple — obviously camouflaged to make them hard to find in their natural surroundings.  Did the red-wing blackbird think up this special color design for its eggs, or did the Creator so plan it to give added protection to the species?

The Egg of the Murre

            The egg of the Murre is distinctly pointed at one end — and there is a reason for its odd shape.  The egg of the Murre is often laid on a narrow rock shelf high above the sea, along the coast.  When the wind blows across the rocky shelf, the egg rolls in a small tight circle, with pointed end inward.  Even a strong wind will make the egg spin, but it will NOT roll off the ledge!  Obviously, the Murre did not decide what shape it wanted its eggs to be.  An Intelligence outside the bird did all the designing.

            (3)  Bird's Nests give convincing Evidence of Special Creative Design

            Of God's creatures, birds show more "personality" than most others.  Their songs, their distinctive beauty, their very nests, reveal individuality of a high order.  And the nature of birds is as different as that of individual men:  some kinds of birds are "cross," some are cheery, some are lazy (e.g. the cuckoo), some are fierce, some are gentle — gentle as a dove — and some are industrious, bundles of energy, as the hummingbird.  Who gave birds their distinctive personality?  If you give evolution the credit, WHAT caused one kind to differ from another when many kinds live in the same environment?

            Let us consider the miracle of VARIETY in bird's nests.  This is a subject of surpassing interest, and causes us to fall in love even more with these fascinating creatures of God's handiwork.  Each species has a characteristic nest!  And the young birds never need to be taught how to build their nest. *

            * All authorities agree, "The first nest a bird ever builds is just as expertly constructed as any made thereafter."

            "Four generations of weaverbirds were bred under artificial conditions in which they never saw a nest or nest material.  Then the FIFTH generation of the birds were set free.  At once they began constructing with unerring skill the complex woven nests of their ancestors! (Alan Devoe).

Who teaches the young bird to build a nest, according to an established pattern?  Though there are literally thousands of types of birds' nests, some simple, some complicated, there is NEVER any deviation from the established style!  This is most amazing, and is evidence of Divine Creation, certainly not of "evolution."

            God made mention of birds' nests in the Bible.  this shows the Divine interest in maintaining "balance in nature," for if mother birds are not protected, and are indiscriminately killed, the insects will greatly multiply, for birds keep down insect populations.  Here is the Biblical reference to birds' nests:

            "If a bird's nest chances to be before thee. . . .and the dam (mother bird) sitting with the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young; but thou shalt in any wise let the dam go. . . .that it may be well with thee." (Deuteromony 22:6, 7).

            Nature (the work of God) has been careful to protect birds' nests, not only by obvious efforts to camouflage, but also by keeping the female birds a plain color, drab or brown — while their mates may be dazzling red, yellow blue or white.  The reason is clear: it is usually the female bird that sits on the eggs — so nature keeps the female bird colors plain, to protect the mother, her young and the eggs.  Surely the Hand of God can be seen in such obvious provisions in nature!  For the same reason eggs frequently are given protective coloring.

            "The speckled eggs of the piping plover, laid in a slight hollow of a beach,  are almost invisible to the passerby because of their coloring and pattern, WHICH MAKE THEM APPEAR TO BE A PART OF THE SHELL STREWN GROUND."  They were planned that way, don't you think?

             As we describe some of the more interesting birds' nests, note how many of them are intended to conceal the nest or camouflage it or merge it into its surroundings — all, of course, for the protection of the birds and their eggs and their young.

            The PLACES where birds build their nests vary greatly.  Most nests are built in trees or bushes and are shaped like a cup; but some choose the grass, others sand, or even rock.  Some dig into a clay bank, others select the eaves of houses, some build inside the trunks of trees and others choose dark and foreboding caves.

            There is also great variety in the selection of MATERIALS out of which they build their nests.  Some use sticks laid crosswise.  Others use grass, stems, roots, moss, yarn, feathers, horsehair, and even mud.

            The examples of peculiar birds' nests we give here will bear out this statement by Alan Devoe:

            "Birds' nests are often so elaborate that it is almost impossible to believe such skill can be instinctive.."

            Some birds, such as the megapods of Australia, lay their eggs in sand.  In Australia also lives a strange race of birds called mound builders, or "brush turkeys."

            "The cock Brush turkey in spring walks backward in circles, kicking the fallen leaves as he goes until he raises a mound at least six feet high, and many yards in circumference, and often weighing as much as FIVE TONS.  In this heap several hen turkeys lay their eggs, and there the eggs stay until the heat of the sun and the warmth of the rotting rubbish hatch them — just as alligator's eggs are hatched."

            Who CREATED the type of egg that would hatch under such adverse conditions?  And who taught the father and the mother bird their respective duties — the one to make the huge mound, the other to lay her eggs in it?  Did such a devious scheme of hatching "just happen?"  Of course not; it was so planned.

            We might mention further, concerning these mound nests, that "the birds have to lay their eggs (in these mounds) at a time when the temperature is remarkably uniform" — otherwise, the eggs would never hatch.  Who teaches the birds the need of selecting the proper TIME OF YEAR to lay their eggs in "mounds?"

            Emperor Penguins have the most unusual nest of all.

            "The single egg rests on top of the bird's feet, tucked under a feather flap that hangs down from the lower belly.  Before going to the ocean to feed the incubating bird stands close to its mate; the egg is transferred to the mate's feet and tucked under the flap there!"

            Who put that flap on BOTH father and mother penguin, that they might take turns going to the ocean to feed?  This is only one of a million evidences that God provides for all His creatures.  He so made them that they would not lack food.

            "Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your HEAVENLY FATHER FEEDETH THEM."  (Matthew 6:26).

            The nest of the FLYCATCHER is a beautiful, symmetrical structure:  it resembles the horn of plenty.

            One of the most remarkable of all nests is that of the TAILOR-BIRD.  These birds actually sew large leaves together with fibers — using their beaks as needles!

            The long-tailed TITMOUSE builds a bottle-shaped nest, skillfully woven from the cotton-like down of the willow.  The PENDULUM TITMOUSE goes one better, and suspends its nest from a flexible willow branch!

            The nest of the BAYA SPARROW is designed to give the parents a chance to think things over if they quarrel!  The nest is built with TWO entrances, one for mother and one for father, and the nest contains separate rooms!  So, when they are not on speaking terms, they can pout in the seclusion of their own rooms! 

            The CHIMNEY SWIFT builds a nest of twigs by gluing them to the inside of a hollow tree or a chimney not in use.  He pastes the nest to the wall with a sticky material from his mouth.  WHERE DID HE GET THE GLUE FACTORY IN HIS MOUTH?  And why does the chimney swift have such a glue factory and other birds do not?  To try to explain this phenomenon by "natural selection" or "random mutations" is ridiculous.

            The RUFUS FANTAIL makes a curious nest at the fork of two tree branches; it decorates its nest by attaching a tassel that dangles from the bottom of the nest — and the next generation, and the next, and the next, WILL BUILD THE SAME TYPE OF A NEST!  No one knows why, except — GOD MADE THEM SO!

            The red OVENBIRD of Argentina builds nests of mud, mixed with a binding material.  It builds a domed nest out of mud, with hair and rootlets added.  It constructs an entrance chamber on one side, then a curved passage to an inner chamber which is lined with dry grass.  Here it lays its white eggs.

The Superb Achievement of the Oriole 

            The BALTIMORE ORIOLE builds a deep, purse-like nest that dangles lightly from the descending outermost twigs of a tree.  Its nest "is among the most complicated known to man."  Many thousands of shuttlelike movements of the oriole's bill are needed to produce the thousands of stitches, knots and loops found in the average oriole's nest.  When completed, the nest looks like a small hammock.  It is so well made that it often hangs on a tree for years without being broken by winds or storms.  This one bird's nest knocks out the theory of evolution.

            But the KINGFISHER, we are told, "through thousands and thousands of years" of the "workings of evolution," came to a different conclusion as to the relative merits of nests and nesting.  He decided to build a nest in the side of a bank; so he digs a tunnel four to twelve feet into a bank along a stream.  At the end of the tunnel he builds his nest — out of fish scales and bones that he has partly digested and regurgitated!

            But the saucy WOODPECKER frowns on such an idea as building his nest in mud.  So he chisels out a hole in solid wood (and he has the beak to do it with) "as round as if measured with a compass."  First he goes downward at an angle for about six inches, and then he goes directly down for about ten inches more. He is careful, while building his capacious home, to carry the chips away from the tree and scatter them at some distance to divert suspicion.  AND THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOODPECKERS WILL FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN!  One can readily see that the woodpecker was MADE to dig a nest in wood, and the oriole's bill was MADE to weave with, and the kingfishers beak and feet were MADE to dig with!  The problem is as simple as that:  each species is MADE to perform as it does.  Why complicate the matter with much mystery and theorizing?  Why not accept the simple obvious fact that WHERE THERE IS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF DESIGN FOR AN INTENDED PURPOSE A DESIGNER DID THE DESIGNING.  The only Designer who could create such an involved system of life as we find in this world is the Almighty.

            Consider next this phenomenon:  Without "overseer or master" a colony of a hundred to two hundred African WEAVERS will get together and build a gigantic, mushroom-shaped mass which turns out eventually to be a veritable "bird apartment house."  Each individual nest in this huge conglomerate mass is entered from below.  Future generations may add to the mass, until eventually "the whole thing may collapse from sheer weight and crash to the ground — tree and all!"

The Henpecked Female HORNBILL   

            We speak — that is, we men do — of the "henpecked man."  But nature provides the spectacle of a "henpecked female."  (The phrase doesn't sound right; but anyhow, you know what we mean).

            "The male of the African HORNBILL walls up the opening to the nest in a hollow tree with mud, until ONLY THE FEMALE'S BILL CAN BE PROTRUDED.  He keeps her locked up in the small nest; he then proceeds to bring her all her food, and likewise that for the young later on.  And she remains a prisoner there UNTIL HER YOUNG ARE NEARLY FULL GROWN."

            Most females are patient, but not THAT patient, by nature.  How, in the course of a thousand million years, did that male ever persuade his wife to submit to SUCH tyranny?  And why, in the name of self-preservation, did he WANT to assume the task of providing food daily for his imprisoned wife and children, when at times the task wears him out to the point of complete exhaustion, and even death?  Such oddities in nature just do not make sense, until we realize that GOD MADE THEM SO, for reasons best known to Himself!  "Natural evolution" could not persuade a female to permit herself to be penned in like that!  Such freaks in nature as the "imprisoned female African hornbill" can not be accounted for other than on the basis of Divine Creation.

            We could write page after page on such bird's nests as the swallow's nest of mud, built under the eaves of barns; of the "expanding nests" of some species of hummingbirds who use spider's web in the construction "so their nests will stretch with the growth of their young!"  Of the nest of the Toddy bird that looks like a miniature canoe!  Such miracles are more than strange; they are prevalent in nature to attract our attention to this fact: there is a Master Designer Who has worked in the shadow behind the strange workings of "nature."

            (4)  Peculiar Birds that Defy the Rules, and bear Witness to God and Creation

            Among the "roughly 25,000 species and subspecies of birds" (Carl Welty's estimate, in the Scientific American)  there are innumerable oddities and strange specimens in the world of birds that defy explanation.  One must just accept them — as part of God's vast creation.  There are birds that talk; bower birds that go through an intricate procedure of building a BOWER where the male courts the female; birds of great beauty, like the cockatoo, the peacock and the birds of paradise; there are birds that are scavengers and birds that are pure killers.  Let us consider some of these interesting kinds of STRANGE BIRDS that bear witness to God and Creation.

            (A)  The Water OUZEL: "the Bird of Three Elements"

            "Though the ouzel is 'the most buoyant bird in all the records of ornithology' and can float on the surface of water like grease, seeming to ride just above the water, instead of partly in it, the hidden observer is startled to see the water ouzel suddenly descend into the swift stream LIKE A LEAD SINKER!  Then this strange creature of three worlds — land, air and water — WALKS about on the bottom, as though he were made of iron instead of flesh and bones."

             This seemingly miraculous conduct is possible only because of special equipment that the ouzel has — and this argues for the fact of specific and special creation.  The bird is provided with a special muscular apparatus that instantly exhausts the air from all its body, and gives it the weight needed to sink in swift water, and to stay down!  Then when it comes to the bank it fills its body with air and so instantly regains its lost buoyancy, and floats away on the surface of the stream as though it never did anything else!  To fly at will, float on the water or sink like a stone into the water and walk along the bottom of a stream requires DESIGNING from some Master Artisan, Evolution would match God if it alone could achieve such marvels.

            (B)  The Accommodating HONEY - GUIDE of Africa

            "The honey-bird of Africa, a bird no larger than a sparrow, will deliberately lead men or honeybadgers to a bee's nest, twittering loudly to them as it does so, while they respond with calls or grunts (as the case may be) to show that they are following.  The association is obviously of benefit to both parties: the bird cannot break into the nest itself, but the men or badgers can, and are bound to leave enough honey and grubs around to satisfy a small bird." (The Living Sea; page 124).

            Who gave the honey-guide such wisdom?  Who first taught it to do this?  To say that it is "instinct" and that instinct is the "congealed actions of centuries" explains nothing — for what force first caused "actions" to become repetitive?  And why did one bird turn out to be a honey-guide and another a falcon, for example?  The whole mysterious realm of nature can not be explained by such trite phrases as "congealed actions" and "random mutations."   In the honey-guide we find a behaviour pattern that is certain, yet static, with no evidence whatever of having come about through a gradual process.  The honey-guide seems to have intelligence above instinct; but it is an intelligence that is instinctive that God gave it.

            (C)  The KIWI:  New Zealand's Wonder Bird

            The "National Geographic" gives this vivid description of the incredible Kiwi: 

            "Impossible!" insisted British scientists in 1813 when they first learned of New Zealand's unique bird — the flightless kiwi. . . .Only when the skin (of a kiwi) was exhibited in a British museum would skeptics admit the existence of this strange inhabitant of the antipodes.

            Little wonder that Britain's men of science at first considered the report in a class with stories of the mythical mermaid and the unicorn.  Who had ever heard of a bird WITH WHISKERS LIKE A CAT'S and with NOSTRILS AT THE TIP OF ITS LONG, CURVED BEAK?  Where else lived a bird THAT BURROWS LIKE A GROUNDHOG and LAYS AN EGG EQUAL TO ONE-QUARTER OF ITS OWN WEIGHT?  Who indeed had seen a bird with NO TAIL and with useless inch-long wings hidden beneath a coat of silky hairlike feathers? 

            And yet — there it was.  Apteryx australis, they decided to call this utterly surprising creature.  The first name means "wingless."  It is a natural wonder, rivaling Australia's duck-billed platypus.  The shy kiwi differs almost as much from its flightless relatives as it does from birds in general.

            There are other notable features of this rare creature:  the fact that the male incubates the egg, then turns the chick loose to fend for itself.  Then too, though it has sturdy clawed feet, "it can move as silently as a rat."

            Like the platypus, the kiwi defies all so-called "laws" of evolution!  It is impossible to trace its ancestry, according to evolutionists' concepts.  Here are some unanswerable questions:  From whence did the kiwi inherit its ability to lay such a huge egg?  No other bird lays an egg proportionately as large as that of the kiwi.  From whence did it get its strange feathers, true feathers, but entirely different in style from those of other birds.  Why does it have nostrils at the end of its long beak — and in addition, why is the end of its beak a highly sensitive organ of touch?  Evolution can not trace its descent from any other animal: it is such a conglomerate creature NO DIRECT CONNECTION WITH ANY OTHER GENUS IS IN EVIDENCE.

(Typists Note:  New Zealand's kiwi population is on the verge of extinction because of ferrets people have had as pets being let go, and they are killing the chicks.  Keeping Ferrets as pets is about to become banned.) 

            (D)  PENGUINS:  Birds of the Antarctic that Resemble Men in Dress Suits.  They swim but do not fly.

            Penguins are among the world's best witnesses to how God in creation has adapted animals to a hostile environment.  Living in one of the coldest sections of the world, where they have neither seeds nor insects to live on as most other birds have, penguins are PERFECTLY ADAPTED TO SURVIVE IN AN EXTREMELY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT.  Were they not equipped as they are, they could not endure the rigors of the Antarctic for a month, much less a season.  IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A LESS HARDY BIRD GRADUALLY TO "ADAPT" ITSELF TO SUCH RIGORS OF CLIMATE:  it would die a million deaths in the "gradual" process demanded by evolution — and never attain "adaptation" through "random changes."  Consider these marvels of "adaptation" that God endowed the penguins with.  (The facts here quoted are from an article in December, 1957, "Scientific American," by William J. L. Sladen, page 45).

            "The penguins almost certainly ORIGINATED in the Antarctic region, for fossil penguins found in that area of the world go back to early in the Tertiary Period (i.e., some 50 million years ago)."

            This is a confession damaging to the evolutionists.  In the first place, it excludes any descent from birds who formerly lived in temperate climates.  In the second place, it establishes, what we have before stated, the FIXITY of genera; for Dr. Sladen believes that fossils prove the genera to have REMAINED UNCHANGED FOR AT LEAST 50 million years!  So, if there has been no evolutionary change in the last 50 million years, WHEN will evolution go to work on the penguins?

             "The penguin's body is beautifully adapted to its life in cold waters.  Unlike other birds, it is almost completely covered with feathers.  Its dense coat of short, stiff feathers, overlapping almost like scales, gives it excellent insulation against heat loss."

             And now we read further of a most interesting provision God made for the benefit of their progeny.

             "The only piece of bare skin on its whole body is a very narrow strip on its abdomen which widens to about an inch and a half WHEN THE BIRD INCUBATES ITS EGG and becomes grown over with feathers again after the eggs are hatched."

             Penguins (the Adelie species) seem to display INTELLIGENCE in the construction of their nests, made out of stone.  This is what they do:

             "They build a nest of stones. . . . The purpose of the nest, in part, IS TO KEEP THE EGGS ABOVE WATER when snow falls on the nest and melts."  Did the penguins figure this out, or, DID GOD, THE CREATOR, PLAN IT SO WHEN HE MADE THEM?

             Because penguins, living in the Antarctic, have no seeds, grasses, plants, worms or insects to live on, God "adapted" them for survival under such hard conditions by enabling them to LIVE ON SEA FOOD, AND YET HAVE THEIR ROOKERIES INLAND.  This is a most amazing "adaptation."

             "Emperor penguins arrive at their breeding quarters around the middle of March at the beginning of the Antarctic winter.  It takes two months to incubate the eggs, and the male does all the sitting himself, while the female feeds at sea.  At hatching time the female returns (travelling sometimes 50 to 60 miles over the trackless wilds of that frost and ice-bitten area) and finds her mate, though there is no nest, and proceeds to feed her chick.  The family maintains its unity in spite of long separation in an icy wilderness without any fixed home.  The dedication and endurance of the father are also quite remarkable.  HE GOES WITHOUT FOOD THROUGH THE COLD ANTARCTIC WINTER FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT THREE AND A HALF MONTHS."  This is a approximately 105 days.  And that is while the bird is active, and NOT in a state of hibernation.  As far as we know, this feat is unparalleled in nature, at least among birds, whose appetites all ornithologists know to be ravenous.

             That feat — going foodless for 105 days in the extreme cold of the Antarctic — demands a miracle of construction that could be achieved ONLY by One of super ability and super intelligence.

            We might add, for the reader's information, that penguins live on ocean krill, a small shrimp, which is also the main diet of many species of whales.

            Actually, there are scores of other amazing "adaptations" that all point to the inevitable conclusion:  Someone who knew what He was doing, created the penguin to MEET THE EXTREME CONDITIONS OF ITS HABITAT.  The penguins HAD to be made as they are to survive in their hostile environment.

            It is interesting to learn too that the parent penguin who returns to the rookery from the sea, ALSO FEEDS THE BABY PENGUIN.  This it does by regurgitating food from its own supply, held in store in its body for this very purpose.

            Can you think of anything more wonderful than God's amazing provision for FOOD for the penguins and their young?  Can you think of an "adaptation" more amazing than that which gives the penguin the ability to go 105 days WITHOUT FOOD, and survive and remain well, in the dead of winter of intense cold, while the bird is actively engaged in taking care of its one egg?

            It is interesting that the Emperor penguin, that does NOT build a nest of stones, has its own marvelous nest, a "built-in" arrangement, that most certainly reveals Divine forethought in creation and perfection of DESIGN for an intended purpose.

             "The emperor penguins incubate their single egg between their feet as they stand upright, A FLAP OF LOOSE SKIN (especially made for this purpose) COVERING AND PROTECTING THE PRECIOUS EGG FROM THE INTENSE COLD OF THE ANTARCTIC WINTER."  ("Strange Animals at the Zoo").  (Caps ours).

            It is easy to see the handiwork of God in such an obvious "adaptation."

             (E)  The Common, yet Uncommon, WOODPECKER — A Miracle Exhibit in perfect Adaptation for an Intended Purpose.  It has been called "Nature's Power Drill."

            The woodpecker lives in a far more friendly environment than the penguin — nevertheless, the woodpecker reveals in its structure amazing "adaptation" to what the Creator designed it for.

             "Woodpeckers are highly specialized for their tree-climbing and grub-hunting activities.  Their feet are strong and equipped with sharp, curved claws.  Two toes on each foot are directed forward, while the other two point to the rear, thus making an effective pincer for grasping the bark of the trees.  (Three-toed woodpeckers have only one hind toe on each foot).  The feathers of the tail are stiff and end in sharp spines.  These spines are pressed against the ridges in the bark of tree trunks and branches and help prop the bird as it digs for grubs or excavates a nesting site.

            "The woodpecker's head is large and its neck short and powerful, enabling the bird to deliver rapid and forceful blows with its stout beak.  This beak, with its chisel shaped tip, is an EFFECTIVE WOOD-CUTTING TOOL.  With it, the bird penetrates the bark and wood of trees, where wood-boring grubs, hibernating insects and insect eggs are to be found.  Once a small hole is made, the woodpecker's tongue dislodges the insect prey.  The tongue is long and slender and can be protruded a considerable distance from the mouth; its tip is usually pointed and BARBED and is COVERED WITH AN ADHESIVE SECRETION."

            No intelligent person can study the tongue of a woodpecker without realizing that it is well designed for an intended purpose.  This "flying power drill" has been called "natures most baffling bird."

            "How a woodpecker can violently slam its head against solid wood hundreds of times a minute without knocking its brains out, or at least getting punch-drunk, still remains a mystery.  Scientists think the secret may be in the structure of the woodpecker's skull, which is constructed with a set of tiny cross braces. . . .which seem to give the skull more flexibility."

            One of the favorite foods of the woodpecker is the beetle.  At certain times there are more beetles than he can eat — so, wise old bird that he is, he "stores" the extra beetles ALIVE in a neatly designed and constructed "prison" and so keeps a supply of FRESH food on hand!  Now note the woodpecker's uncanny ability:

            "The woodpecker knows how to estimate and drill EXACTLY the right size hole, so that he can squeeze the live beetle into the hole and yet not permit it to worm its way out!  If he makes the hole too little, he couldn't get the insect in; and if he made it too big, the insect would be able to wriggle its way to freedom."  Such a situation of course demands a very close "tolerance" — to use a machinist's expression.  THE UNBELIEVABLE WOODPECKER CAN DO THAT VERY THING!  And, remember, the woodpecker has to change its calculations for EACH beetle it puts into live storage — for all beetles differ some in size and shape.

             Surely, every woodpecker in the world is a LIVING WITNESS to the fact that GOD MADE IT AS IT IS.  Evolution can in no wise explain how the woodpecker got its unique tongue, its specially constructed tail, its designed feet, and above all, its marvelous chisel-like beak!  That such amazing equipment, differing from that given to other birds, would have been perfected through long ages of "gradual change" is a preposterous assumption without valid reason for acceptance.  We repeat what we have said so often before: ANY SPECIALIZED ORGAN — like the tongue, or the beak, or the tail of the woodpecker — MUST BE PERFECT BEFORE IT SERVES ITS INTENDED PURPOSE.  A beak that is only "half" developed to serve as a chisel, or a tail that is only "partially" developed to aid in climbing a tree, or a tongue only 10% long enough to reach a grub hidden inside the trunk of a tree, is absolutely USELESS.  The "specialized organs" that all creatures have, had to be PERFECT from the beginning — otherwise they are worthless and impractical.

            "IF such "specialized organs" came to pass through the processes of gradual change, due to "random mutations," what good purpose did they serve while they were in the PROCESS of developing?  And what did the poor creature do UNTIL its specialized organ was fully developed?  AND WHERE IN ALL NATURE IS THERE ONE EX