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 Birps (Rate), 
General Characteristics.—Birds with rudimentary, use- 
less wings ; the sternum, or breast-bone, not keeled; legs 
powerful, and adapted for running. 
The Apterix (Apterygida), or “ kiwi-kiwi” (Fig. 275), 
is confined to New Zealand. It attains a height of two 
Fic. 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; 
