THE GREAT AUK 



to a peculiar group of vegetable-feeding marine 

 animals, the Sirenians. It has a small head, 

 flipper-like fins, no hind limbs, and a fish-like 

 tail. 



Fig. 15. — The Great Auk or Gare-fowl {Aica tmpennis). Photo- 

 graphed with its egg, from the specimens in the Natural 

 History Museum. 



The skull of the same animal is shown in Eig. 

 14. It has no teeth, but instead bony plates. 



This is the picture of a celebrated animal 

 (Fig. 15) — for you must understand that birds are 

 animals. You will have been handed a hst of the 

 groups of animals (see the end of this chapter). 



23 



