. The natural history of birds . serve as an example of thosevery singular birds. STERNA OF THE TOTIPALMJE. These birds, which may perhaps w ithout very muchimpropriety be considered as, in habit, taking up thesystem after the herons, have considerable diver-sity in their haunts and modes of life. Some, as thealbatross, are almost habitually on the wing overthe sea, while others, as the cormorants, are lessdiscursive, resort sometimes to the fresh waters, andoccasionally perch upon trees; but they all agree in STERNUM OF THE CORMORANT. 393 finding the greater part, if not the whole, of theirfo
. The natural history of birds . serve as an example of thosevery singular birds. STERNA OF THE TOTIPALMJE. These birds, which may perhaps w ithout very muchimpropriety be considered as, in habit, taking up thesystem after the herons, have considerable diver-sity in their haunts and modes of life. Some, as thealbatross, are almost habitually on the wing overthe sea, while others, as the cormorants, are lessdiscursive, resort sometimes to the fresh waters, andoccasionally perch upon trees; but they all agree in STERNUM OF THE CORMORANT. 393 finding the greater part, if not the whole, of theirfood in the waters, and descending upon it on thewing, instead of getting it by wading or by walking,as is the case with the groups last mentioned. Hence,in all the varieties, they have a sternum well adaptedfor flight; but it also combines another character,which will be better understood after examining thefollowing figures of the sternal apparatus of the com-mon cormorant, which are given of half the linealdimensions of Cormorant. It is however in the next figure, which is the pro-file on the same scale, that the peculiar modification ofthe sternum of these birds is best seen. Upon examining the following profile figure, it willbe found that this bone presents a still more power-fully-resisting arch to the front than that formerlyalluded to in the divers. The anterior edge of thekeel, the coracoid, and the clavicle, form a completeegg-shaped structure, with its narrow end in the headof the last bone, where it is greatly increased in 394 STERNUM OF THE CORMORANT. breadth, and consequently in firmness of resistance;while, from the manner in which the head of this boneis formed, any strain given upon the more advancedpart of it is divided among the coracoids, the scapu-lars, and the keel of the sternum, though the greaterpart of it goes in the direction of the first of are well adapted, both from their form and themode of their attachment to the sternum, for r
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookidnaturalhistoryof00mudi, booksubjectbirds
