. The bird, its form and function . d had a short,blunt, skinny bill of moderate size, furnished with teethwhich would enable the owner to feed upon Jurassicberries and fruit, or more probably a carnivorous diet oflizards and insects. Its wings were weak, hinting thatit was a flutterer rather than a true flyer, perhaps onlyscaling like a flying squirrel from the summit of onetree to the base of the next. Even this would give itan immense advantage over its terrestrial and arborealnon-flying enemies. The three free fingers on each wingwould allow it to climb easily, to pry into crevices forinse
. The bird, its form and function . d had a short,blunt, skinny bill of moderate size, furnished with teethwhich would enable the owner to feed upon Jurassicberries and fruit, or more probably a carnivorous diet oflizards and insects. Its wings were weak, hinting thatit was a flutterer rather than a true flyer, perhaps onlyscaling like a flying squirrel from the summit of onetree to the base of the next. Even this would give itan immense advantage over its terrestrial and arborealnon-flying enemies. The three free fingers on each wingwould allow it to climb easily, to pry into crevices forinsects, or to draw a berry-laden branch close to itsbill. Doubtless it frequently walked or ran on all fours, themore probably from its weak-loined condition,—the bonesof the thigh-girdle not being fused together as in modernbirds. Its tail has already been mentioned—a longdouble-feathered appendage, composed of a score oflittle vertebrae jointed together,—as we will later seethe true forerunner of the modern fan-like tails. Its. Fig. 6.—Restoration of Archceopteryx (adapted from Smit). Notice the teeth,three fingers, and lizard-like tail. 13 14 The Bird feet and legs were little different from those of perchingbirds of to-day, with strong toes well adapted to clingto a branch. Finally, from a cast of the brain, whichfortunately was found with one of the fossils, we knowthat, although small, it was that of a true quick-wittedbird. As yet science has no more to tell us. Our fancy may add an archaic attempt at song—alizards croak touched with the first harmony, whichwas to echo through all the ages to follow; we may alsoimagine, if we will, leathery eggs deposited in a rottenknot-hole of a Jurassic conifer. In both islands of New Zealand well-preserved remainsof giant birds have been discovered, to which has beengiven the name of moas. One species must have reacheda height of ten or eleven feet, which would make ittower above the largest living ostrich. They were, infact,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1906
