A BIRD’S MODERN KINSFOLK., 203 
their interminable prefixes of “subs” and “ supers,” 
and with their refinements of subdivisions, is omitted. 
The lines between the circles represent ties of kinship. 
When dotted, the kinship is faint or apparent only. 
The first great circle represents the reptiles with 
the birdlike Dinosaurs on the birdward margin. Next 
is the Archwopteryx as the earliest known branch from 
the bird stem. Doubtless other fossils nearer the rep- 
tiles exist and may be found yet. 
Hesperornis and Ichthyornis are simply thrown in 
as birds of a later period, still having teeth but with 
short tails. These Prof. Marsh found in Kansas. 
Ichthyornis was perhaps like a tern or gull, and flew 
well with a keel or ridge on its breastbone. //es- 
perornis was a diver, with imperfect wings and no 
keel. While it was not at all ostrichlike, the degen- 
erate wings and keel show that the same general con- 
ditions affected it that affected them. There are nu- 
merous other fossils in this region and further on that 
we can not note. 
The members of the Ostrich group are regarded 
as the lowest living birds, not because they are flight- 
less, but because their structure generally is quite rep- 
tilian. They early took to running, developed large 
legs, lost the use of their wings, and quite likely their 
keels. Some persons think, Pence that they never 
had keels. They form the Reallexs division of modern 
birds. 
Out of these run at least two quite distinct strains 
of kinship. That to the fowl forms (line 4-5) is by 
the way of the dry-land tendency, passing through by 
