THE BIRDS. 



199 



same style." The various cranes common to the coast of 

 Florida often spend hours resting in the air; while the 

 gannet is an admirable soaring bird, though with a heavy 

 body and relatively small expanse of wings.* 



In the hind legs of most birds the metatarsal bones are 

 grown together and consolidated 

 with the rudimentary tarsus into 

 one bone, called the tarso-meia- 

 tarsus (Fig. 205, c, c). In the 

 embryo bird, however (Fig. 205, 

 ^4),the tarsus is represented by two 

 short bones, while the metatarsal 

 bones are separate. This early 

 separation of the metatarsal bones 

 is retained in the fully-grown pen- 

 guin (Fig. 20G). In being thus 

 consolidated the fully-grown bird's 

 ankle is best adapted to support 

 the toes, the bird's body being 

 adapted both for flight and walk- 

 ing or running. 



The tarsus (properly tar so-met a- 

 tarsus) may be covered with feath- 

 ers, as in the owl, or with scales. 

 When covered with a network of 

 numerous scales, the tarsus is said 

 to be reticulate; when they are 



J 



united in front to form a series of 



Square Scales, the tarSUS IS SCUtel- 



,.., , ,, , ,, 



late, aild 'booted When they 

 n i- i 



form two or sometimes a single 

 plate covering the entire tarsus. 



There are never more than four toes in birds, the fifth toe 

 corresponding to our little toe, not being present. In the 

 ostrich the two toes represent the third and fourth; in birds 

 with three toes, the first and last toes are wanting. 



* I. Lancaster, in the American Naturalist, xix. 1885. 



205 _ A ^ bones of the foot of 

 an embryo bird s upper, </, 



lower, pieces of the tarsus. -B, 



leg of the Buzzard (Buteo vui- 



fjaris). a, femur; b, tibia; o, 

 fibula; c, tarso-metatarsus; c', 

 the same piece isolated, and 

 seen from in front; (I, d', d", 

 d'", the four digits or toes. 



