312 Dr. H. Woodtcard — On Wingless Birds. 



Secondary Eocks, of which the genera Hesperornis and Ichtliyornis 

 present two very remarkable types. 



The first (Hesperoi-nis) had only a rudimentary wing, was nearly 

 3.^ -sisr feet high, had a flat sternum, and its jaws were armed with teeth 

 implanted in grooves. It was a huge fish-eating Diver. 



The second {Ichtliyornis) possessed very powerful wings and a 

 keeled sternum ; and its jaws were armed with teeth in distinct 

 sockets. The vertebrce are biconcave. 



These remarkable birds form a second order, the Odontornithes.^ 



They have teeth, but, unlike Archceopteryx, they have not the long 

 lizard-like tail. 



Upwards of thirty genera of birds have been described from 

 Eocene-Tertiary strata, but as most of these are like the great bulk 

 of our modern birds, I will only specially refer to one or two. 



Two species of Gastornis are now known, one from Paris and one 

 from Belgium. It was originally believed to be a Struthious bird, 

 like the Ostrich : it is now considered a hugh wading or Anserine 

 bird. Mr. E. T. Newton, F.G.S., has also discovered some similar 

 Bird-remains in the Lower Eocene, Woolwich Series, near London 

 (not yet published). Sir E. Owen has described three bird-remains 

 of very great interest, from the London Clay, namely Argillornis 

 longipennis, a fish-eating (serrated or tooth-billed) bird larger than 

 the Albatross : a serrated-billed bird (also no doubt fish-eating) 

 named Odontopteryx toliapicus. Sir Eichard Owen has also described 

 an imperfect skull of a great Struthious Bird, Dasornis londiniends, 

 with affinities to Dinornis ; whilst in strata of Eocene age in New 

 Mexico Prof. Cope records the discovery of Diatryma gigantea, a 

 wingless bird twice the size of the living Ostrich. 



We may pass over the Miocene Birds, which are mainly interest- 

 ing as showing a modified distribution for modern Birds — as, for 

 example, the occurrence of true Ostrich-bones fossil in the Newer 

 Miocene of the Siwalik Hills in India. 



We come, however, in late Tertiary times upon a group of Birds 

 (very scantily represented in the older Tertiaries) with representa- 

 tives living to-day in widely separated geographical areas. 



These form the Order Eatitje or raft-breasted birds haviug no 

 keel to the sternum. 



In New Zealand, we have the Family Dinornithidee (Dinornis), all 

 — or nearly all — large cursorial birds, the wings absent, or quite 

 rudimentary, and useless for flight. 



In Madagascar we have the extinct ^pyornis closely related to 

 Dinornis. 



In the Mascarene Islands we have remains of another wingless 

 bird, Erythromachus Leguati, allied to the living Apteryx. 



In the Bone-caves of Wellington, New South Wales, remains of 

 Dromceornis and of Dromceus have been found. 



In the Bone-caves of Brazil, remains of a species of Blicea have 

 been met with. 



In the Eocene deposits of New Mexico we have Cope's Diatryma 

 gigantea. 



1 See Gbol. Mag. 1876, pp. 49-53, PL II. ; Op. cit. 1880, pp. 522-526. 



