. The bird; its form and function . Fig. 2.—Lower jaw of Ichthyornis (after ). 4/5 natural size,. Fig. 3.—Lower jaw of Alligator. 1/6 natural size. The teeth are set in distinctsockets both in the extinct bird and in the living reptile. while only a single bone remained to show where thewings of its ancestors were situated. It is doubtful if itcould stand erect upon land, being in this respect morehelpless even than a grebe. Its nest, if it made one,must have been at the very edge of the shore, from which 6 The Bird it could wriggle or push itself with its powerful toes intothe water. Th
. The bird; its form and function . Fig. 2.—Lower jaw of Ichthyornis (after ). 4/5 natural size,. Fig. 3.—Lower jaw of Alligator. 1/6 natural size. The teeth are set in distinctsockets both in the extinct bird and in the living reptile. while only a single bone remained to show where thewings of its ancestors were situated. It is doubtful if itcould stand erect upon land, being in this respect morehelpless even than a grebe. Its nest, if it made one,must have been at the very edge of the shore, from which 6 The Bird it could wriggle or push itself with its powerful toes intothe water. The thought of the untold generations ofbirds which must have preceded this toothed, wingless,feathered being, makes the mind falter at the vast stretchesof time during which evolution has been unceasingly atwork. When we examine the skull of Hesperornis we get aclew to the reason why this great creature, nearly as largeas a man, succumbed when some slight change in itsenvironment called for new adjustments in its habits oflife. Its brain was comparatively smaller than that ofany existing bird; and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1906
