280 



VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY 



The Toothed Diving Birds (Neornithes Odontolc^) 



The oldest avian remains next to those of Archceopteryx belong 

 to Cretaceous times, and occur in strata that are characteristically 



Fig. 152. — The most importiint forms of birds' feet, a, e[\np,\ng foot, of a swift, 

 Cypselus; b, climbing toot of woodpecker, Picim; c, scratching foot of pheasant, 

 Plwsianus; d, jierching foot of ouzel, Titrdus; c, foot of kingfislior, Alceda; f, seizing 

 foot of falcon, Fcdco; g, wading foot of stork, Mijrteria; h, running foot of ostrich, 

 Strulhio; i, swimming foot of duck', Afcrgas; k, wading foot of avocet, liccii-rvirostra ; 

 I, diving foot of grebe, Podicipcs; m, wading foot of coot, P'ulica; n, swimming 

 foot of tropic-bird, Phnrtnn. (From Ilegner, after Sedgwick's Zoology: b, c, d, 

 f, n, from regno animab) 



marine; for the other fossils in these strata are essentially s(\x tj''i5es. 

 The bird fossils referred to e\'id(mtly belonged to a t.vpc that was 

 primarily a sea diver, as is eviilcnced by the rudimentary wings and 



