The Living Animals 

 of The IVorld 



BOOK II. BIRDS 



BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. 



CHAPTER I 



THE OSTRICH AND ITS 

 KINDRED 



THE Ostriches are a very an- 

 cient group of birds, and, judg- 

 ing from what we know of their 

 anatomy, they must be regarded as 

 representing the most primitive of Hv- 

 ing birds. With the exception of a 

 single group, to be discussed presently, 

 all have lost the power of flight. In 

 some, in consequence, the wing has be- 

 come reduced to a mere vestige. It 

 organ, such as a wing or a leg or a tail, 



Photo by H. NotU, T.:<,. 



RHEA AND YOUNG 



Although the tvings of the rhea are large^ they fit 

 closely to the body as to be inuisible ivhen closed 



49 



Fhoto by U^. P. Dando, F.Z.S. 



RUFOUS TINAMOU, BRAZIL 



T^e tail-feathers of these birds are so small as to appear to he zuanting 



is a rule in Nature, we may remark, that whenever an 

 ceases to be useful, it undergoes forthwith a slow process 

 of reduction or degeneration, growing smaller and 

 smaller in each successive generation, till at last it 

 may even disappear altogether. The loss of flight 

 has been accompanied by a degeneration in the 

 quality of the feathers — that is to say, their service- 

 ability as aids to flight has been entirely lost. 



The size of the members of this group xaries 

 much. The largest of all is the African Ostrich; 

 the smallest, of the flightless forms, the New Zealand 

 Apteryx. The ostrich-like birds which have retained 

 the power of flight are known as Tinamous, and are 

 natives of South America. All these are smaller 

 than the flightless Apteryx. 



Tinamous 



The Tinamous should perhaps be regarded as 

 standing at the head of the Ostrich Tribe, since they 

 have reached a higher degree of development than 

 any other of its members. They have also preserved 

 the power of flight. In their general appearance 

 they bear a singular resemblance to partridges, 

 though a little careful observation will reveal many 

 points wherein they differ therefrom. They are very 

 confiding and unsuspicious birds — some persons call 

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