. The structure and life of birds. Birds; Evolution. H SKELETONS OF BIRD AND REPTILE 17 not, as in mammals and most reptiles, entirely of bone, and it has vanished. But ankylosis or fusion is perhaps the most marked characteristic of a bird's leg. There are the same bones as in the lizard's leg, if we could only see them—viz.: Femur (FE, fig. 2) or thigh-bone. Tibia (T), Fibula (F), two rows of Tarsals or ankle-bones (TA), four of the lizard's five Metatarsals (MT), though of one of the four only the farther end (MTp fig. 2) remains, and four of his five. Fig. 6.—Hatteria Lizard's left hind fo
. The structure and life of birds. Birds; Evolution. H SKELETONS OF BIRD AND REPTILE 17 not, as in mammals and most reptiles, entirely of bone, and it has vanished. But ankylosis or fusion is perhaps the most marked characteristic of a bird's leg. There are the same bones as in the lizard's leg, if we could only see them—viz.: Femur (FE, fig. 2) or thigh-bone. Tibia (T), Fibula (F), two rows of Tarsals or ankle-bones (TA), four of the lizard's five Metatarsals (MT), though of one of the four only the farther end (MTp fig. 2) remains, and four of his five. Fig. 6.—Hatteria Lizard's left hind foot D I, 2, 3, 4, 5, digits : F, fibula ; mt, metatarsals ; T, tibia ; taj, two bones fixed, represents near row of tarsals ; TAg, distant row. digits. The Femur has not undergone so much change, but the Tibia and Fibula (fig. 3) are very different from the corresponding bones in reptiles. The latter has nearly vanished ; it is a slender, almost needle-like bone, attached to the side of the Tibia and not reaching to its farther end. In many mammals too the Fibula is but a remnant. The way to make certain, in the skeleton of any animal whatever, which bone is the Tibia and which the Fibula, is to imagine the limb extended, as it is in the lizard, outwards from the body; then the Tibia is prseaxial and the Fibula C. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Headley, F. W. (Frederick Webb), 1856-1919. London, New York, Macmillan
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1895
