152 



ANIMALS OF THE PAST 



go we might be 

 justified in calling 

 them cursorial 

 birds of prey. 



We really know 

 very little about 

 these Patagonian 

 giants, but they 

 are interesting not 

 only from their 

 great size and as- 

 tounding skulls, 

 but because of the 

 early age (Mio- 

 cene) at which 

 they lived and be- 

 cause in spite of 

 their bulk they are 

 in nowise related 

 to the ostriches, 

 but belong near 

 the heron family. 

 As usual, we have 

 no idea why they 

 became extinct, 



Fig. 31. Leg of a Horse Com- 

 pared with that of the Giant Moa. 



