74 ANIMALS OF THE PAST 



Archaeopteryx, and even more like what is 

 found in the wing of an ostrich. 



Then, too, there are a few birds still left, 

 such as the ostrich, that have not kept pace 

 with the others, and are a trifle more like 

 reptiles than the vast majority of their rela- 

 tives, and these help a little in explaining the 

 structure of early birds. Among these is a 

 queer bird with a queer name, Hoactzin, found 

 in South America, which when young uses its 

 little wings much like legs, just as we may 

 suppose was done by birds of old, to climb 

 about the branches. Mr. Quelch, who has 

 studied these curious birds in their native wilds 

 of British Guiana, tells us that soon after hatch- 

 ing,the nestlings begin to crawl about by means 

 of their legs and wings, the well -developed 

 claws on the thumb and finger being constantly 

 in use for hooking to surrounding objects. If 

 they are drawn from the nest by means of their 

 legs, they hold on firmly to the twigs, both with 

 their bill and wings ; and if the nest be upset 

 they hold on to all objects with which they 

 come in contact by bill, feet, and wings, mak- 

 ing considerable use of the bill, with the help 



