396 



The Bird 



one quarter as large; and indeed it bids fair to disappear 

 altogether in the course of time, and even now the dimin- 

 utive nail which is often present is only as large as the 

 claw of a chicken. 



The power of the ostrich to defend itself by kicking 

 is proverbial, but the claw on the 

 large toe is blunt and the ability to 

 inflict injury lies in the terrible force 

 of the blow. Its ally, the cassowary, 

 has three good-sized toes, and on 

 the innermost one a specially adapt- 

 ed weapon in the shape of a strong, 

 ])ointed, talon-like claw, four inches 

 in length. 



The two photographs (Figs. 312 

 and 313) show how similar the 

 tracks which the modern cassowary 

 makes in walking over moist clay, 

 are to those made by the bipedal 

 reptilian Dinosaurs millions of years 

 ago, which have been found in the 

 Connecticut valley. 



Thus in our brief review we have 

 seen how the feet and legs of birds 

 serve them well in walking, hopping, running, perch- 

 ing, scratching, climbing, burrowing, swimming, diving, 

 in addition to the finding of their food, fighting, 

 preening their feathers, and in countless other ways. 

 The story of the bird's foot has not half been told. 



Fig. 312.— Track.s ot Casso- 

 wary in soft clay. 



