THE MO A AND APTER7X. 



207 



Sub-Class I. — Ratit^. 



General Characters of Eunning Birds. — Tlie kiwi-kiwi, 

 the moa, ciissowiu-y, and ostrich differ from other birds in 

 the smooth, uiikeoled sternum and the short tail; the wings 

 are rudimentary and the hind legs strong, these birds (ex- 



Fio. 243. — Moa, Palapteryx, with three Kiwi-kiwi birds. 



cept Apteryz) being runners, and eitlicr of large or, as in 

 the extinct forms, of colossal size. 



The simjilost form is the "kiwi-kiwi" or Apteryx of 

 New Zealand (Fig. 24.3), of which there are tliree or four 

 species. It is of the size of a hen, with a long slender beak, 

 the nostrils situated at the end of the upper jaw, wliile the 



