NINTH ANNUAL REPORT. 205 
THE APTERYX 
From a mounted specimen in the American Museum of Natural History. 
The wings are so tiny that they are completely concealed by the 
body plumage. Its feet and legs are stout, and it has four toes. 
The bill is long and slender, and, strange to say, the nostrils, 
instead of being at the base of the bill, as in other birds, are 
placed near its tip, the nasal cavity running up the full length of 
the bill, and even filling up the space between the eyes. 
As a rule, those creatures which excel in powers of scent have 
correspondingly deficient eyesight, as is the case in dogs and 
wolves. In birds, with but one exception, the reverse is true, 
their eyes being greatly developed, while their nostrils are small. 
The exception is the Apteryx, which is one of the few birds which 
finds its prey by scent instead of sight. This bird is nocturnal in 
its habits, and its principal food consists of earth-worms. Obvi- 
ously, eyes would be of little assistance in obtaining worms. The 
sense of smell is of greatest service, aided to a certain extent by 
touch. The latter sense operates through a number of long, hair- 
like feelers which grow from different portions of the head and 
sometimes reach a length of six inches—analogous, but not 
homologous, to the whiskers of a cat. 
