234 



BACKBONED ANIMALS. 



of modern divers, so that the bird has been termed a 

 carnivorous, swimming ostrich. They are all extinct. 



Sub-Class III. FLAT-BREASTED BIRDS {Ratitce). 



General Characteristics. Birds with rudimentary, use- 

 less wings ; the sternum, or breast-bone, not keeled ; legs 

 powerful, and adapted for running. 



The Apterix (Aptcrygid&\ or "kiwi-kiwi" (Fig. 275), 

 is confined to New Zealand. It attains a height of two 



FlG. 275. The Apteryx, a nocturnal ground-bird. 



feet, is tailless, and the wings are rudimentary. The bill 

 is long, the nostrils placed at its tip. The feathers are 

 brown and hair-like. It is nocturnal ; the nest or burrow 

 is generally placed in the ground at the root of a tree ; 



