458 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



tures among the birds. These odd-feathered 

 animals aid in showing the close relationship 

 between the birds and the reptiles. 



Order Hesperornithiformes 



There are at least 7 species of fossil birds 

 in this order. Hesperornis (Fig, 332), the 

 best known, was over 5 feet in length. It 

 possessed teeth set in a groove, strong hind- 



limbs with webbed feet which were used 

 like oars, and a sternum without a keel. 

 The entire anatomy indicates that Hesperor- 

 nis was a flightless swimming and diving 

 bird which lived upon aquatic animals. The 

 remains of this and the other species prob- 

 ably belonging to this order were found in 

 the Cretaceous deposits of Kansas, Mon- 

 tana, and Europe. 



Figure 332. Hesperornis, a restoration, showing teeth, absence of wings, and laterally directed 

 legs with lobed toes for swimming. Fossils of this bird have been found in the United States. 

 (Courtesy of Chicago Natural History Museum.) 



Order Ichthyornithiformes 



Of the 8 species of fossil birds included 

 in this order, Ichthyornis from the Creta- 

 ceous deposits of Kansas is the best known. 

 This bird, which lived in the same period as 

 Hesperornis, had a keeled sternum and well- 

 developed \\'ings. It was about the size of 

 a pigeon, a strong flier, and probably fed 

 upon aquatic animals. 



Order Dinornithiformes. Moos 



Members of this order have probably be- 

 come extinct within the past 500 years. The 

 remains of these peculiar birds have been 

 found in great numbers in caves, refuse 

 heaps, and old marsh beds of New Zealand, 

 to which country they were confined. 

 Twenty-eight species are known from the 



remains. They ranged from about the size 

 of a turkey to nearly 10 feet high. They were 

 flightless, but possessed enormous hind- 

 limbs. 



Order Aepyornithiformes. 

 Elephant birds 



The elephant birds (Fig. 333) have prob- 

 ably become extinct within the past 5 cen- 

 turies. They inhabited Madagascar, were 

 flightless, and possessed hindlimbs more 

 enormous even than those of the moas. 

 Many of their eggs have been found in the 

 sand near the seashore. The elephant bird's 

 egg is the largest known animal cell; it is 

 more than 1 3 inches in length and 9 inches 

 in width, and has a capacity of over two 

 gallons, equivalent to H8 hen's eggs. 



