CHAPTER IV 



THE SKULL 



BIRD'S skull has hccii called a ''})ooni in hone — 

 its architecture is the frozen music of morphol- 

 ogy; in its mutely elociuent lines may he traced 

 the rhythmic rhymes of the myriad ama'bifoini animals 

 which constructed the noble edihce when they sang 

 together." We should all "be able to whistle some bars 

 of the cranial song — the |)terygo-])alatine bar at least." 



/We perhaps know that there are twenty-eight bones 

 in our own head, and if we attempt to dissect the skull of 

 a fish we will hnd many more, but at first glance the 

 skull of our chicken seems to be comj)osed of but one 

 solid bone. Indeed, if we except the lower jaw and a 

 few others, such as the two little bones which unite it 

 to the skull, the entire cranium is soldered together, and 

 the lines of junction ol)literated. In young l)ii'ds these 

 seams are more or less visible, although the soldering 

 process begins very early. 



The origin of the skull is wrapped in obscui'ity. and 

 neither the student of fossil l)ones, nor of those beneath 

 the skin of living creatiUTS, nor yet the diligent watcher 

 of the mysterious panorama of lif(» in the egg. can tell 

 us very much, although many theories liave been sug- 



lo-', 



