358 



SYSTEMATIC ZOOLOGY. 



ORDER III. NATATORES (Swimming Birds). 



In these the short legs end in feet adapted for swimming 

 by having a web between the anterior toes. The body 

 varies greatly in shape. In the penguins (fig. 152) the 

 wings have lost the powers of flight, the wing-feathers 

 being short and scale-like. On the other hand, they are 



^V^S&y'l?-^ Til. ^Ttt^ Vttn.XJiV ,'**]'. ', .~ iP- , AT-! 7 . ,.? 



FIG. 152. Penguin (Aptenodytes longirostns). From Liitken. 



strong swimmers, and the loons almost equal them in this 

 respect. The other extreme is reached in those strong 

 fliers, the albatross, tropic birds, gulls, etc. More useful 

 to man are the ducks and geese, while the swans, auks, 

 and cormorants must be mentioned as members of the 

 order. 



