The Crested Screamer. 223 



between birds and reptiles belonging to the Upper 

 Jurassic period. 



The screamer's right to dwell with the geese has 

 not been left unchallenged. The late Professor 

 Garrod finds that '* from considerations of pterylosis, 

 visceral anatomy, myology, and osteology the 

 screamer cannot be placed along with the Anserine 

 birds." He finds that in some points it resembles 

 the ostrich and rhea, and concludes : " It seems 

 therefore to me that, summing these results, the 

 screamer must have sprung from the primary avian 

 stock as an independent offshoot at much the same 

 time as did most of the other important families." 

 This time, he further tells us, was when there 

 occurred a general break-up of the ancient terres- 

 trial bird- type, when the acquisition of wings 

 brought many intruders into domains already 

 occupied, calling forth a new struggle for exist- 

 ence, and bringing out many special qualities by 

 means of natural selection. 



With this archaeological question I have little to 

 do, and only quote the above great authorities to 

 show that the screamer appears to be nearly the 

 last descendant of an exceedingly ancient family, 

 with little or no relationship to other existing 

 families, and that its pedigree has been hopelessly 

 lost in the night of an incalculable antiquity. I have 

 only to speak of the bird as a part of the visible 

 world and as it appears to the non-scientific lover 

 of nature ; for, curiously enough, while anatomists 

 have been laboriously seeking for the screamer's 

 affinities in that " biological field which is as wide 

 as the earth and deep as the sea," travellers and 

 Q 



