74 ANIMALS OF THE PAST 
Archexopteryx, 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 
