I 



D I R 



antfrior part of tlic end of the tibia. Tliis eminence affoi'ds 

 a fiiflicicM d.-grce of rtlillaiice to tin- flexion of the leg to 

 counttraft the tffcA of the olcillatii'iis of the body, and 

 would prove an inf'irmoiintablc obftniclion to the motion of 

 the joint, if there were not a focket within the upper part 

 of the pulley of the tibia, to receive it v.lien tl'.c leg is in 

 the bent pofition. The lower edjje of the focket is promi- 

 nent and Iharp, and prefeins a fort of barrier to the admifTion 

 of the eminence, that requires a voUintary tniifcnlar txcition 

 of the bird to overcome, which bcinj; accomplifhed, it flips 

 in with fonie force like the end of a dillocated bone. Du- 

 nieriland Cuvier have defcribed a fi:nilar apparatus to this ni 

 tl>e knee of the Jloii- ; but they mull ha\e confourded, in an 

 unaccountable manner, the one joint w-ith the other ; for the 

 articulation of the femur with the bones of the leg in the 

 commonjlori (antea alia), certainly exhi!)its nothing pecu- 

 liar ill its Urufture. See Pliite VIII. in x.hc A7i:ilon:y of 

 Birds. Fig. I. reprefents the anterior part of the articula- 

 tion of the tibia with the nietatarfus in xhejiork ; a the ti- 

 bia, b the metatarfal bone, fr the ptoniinent edges of the 

 uUcy on the end of the tibia, ^/the round eminence of the 

 ead of the mctatarius, c the focket in the tibia, which re- 

 ceives the eminence during the flexion of the joint. 



The bonci uf the t&es vary in number, incrcafing from the 

 inner to the Oitcrnal toes. Birds with four toes have the 

 number of the phalan;>ei in the following order, 2, 3,4,5; 

 ihofe with tlirte toes have them, 3, 4, 5, except the ci/fa- 

 <wary and the New Holland ojlnch, which have four joints to 

 each toe. The Afr'iam ojlrich has oidy two toes, and four 

 phalanges to both. Moll birds have the three principal 

 toes fituatcd befvre, and the poUex attached to the inner 

 and back part of the metatarfd bone near its extremity. 

 The btijlard, cnjfoivary. New Holland ojrkh, the plover, tlic 

 Q^er catcher, and I he long leg'^ed pluver, have but three toes ; 

 and the altatrofi, ptirell, av.d penguin, want the poUex. All 

 \\\<: fcanfjres have tlieir toes oppofcd to each other, two be- 

 hind and tv\0 before. 



It would have r;.ndcred the defcription of tlie bones tedi- 

 ous and confufvd, to have given frccpient references to the 

 plates which rcprcfent tlum ; the reader, therefore, will 

 have occalion to coritemplate the relation the different fi- 

 gures bear to each other; and to facilitate fnch comparifon, 

 Cniilar Ittters are employed to indicate fnnilar parts in each 

 of the (kektons cliofen t^ illuftrate tiie fubjcft. 



When birds tranfport themfelves from one place to ano- 

 ther, it is moH commonly by the aft of fl\ing ; which con- 

 fjils in the fucceffive elevation and dcprefnon of the wings ; 

 the latter motion being performed with, lo much fo^ce and 

 velocity, as to coniprefs a volnme of air, the re-aflion of 

 which is fnlRcient to impel forwards the whole body of the 

 bird. The various kinds of flight depend upon the different 

 ways of employing the wings, and the habits and oecononiy 

 of the individ\!al, which it is the bufuKfs of the natiiralilt to 

 point out. Many birds are capable of ufing other modes of 

 locomotion btlides flying, for which their ftructure isequally 

 ■Well adapted ; for iuftance, lome tribes almoll conllantly in- 

 habit the water, and fwim with the greateft. eafc ; others 

 v.alk or run with the greateft rapidity ; and others tranfport 

 themfelves chiefly by the effort of climbing. We have, 

 therefore, feleCicd a (ktleton to exhibit the organs employed 

 in each of thefe Ipecies of locomotion. See Plate VIIl. in 

 the Anatomy of Birds. Fig. 2. repiefents a fkeleton of the 

 New Holland ojlrich, which was brought into this country by 

 an inge:iious young furgeon, Mr. Langftaff. It feems to 

 partake of the ftrufture of both the cajfowary and African 

 cflrich, but it bears the grcateil likentfs to the latter ; and 

 Uxcrefo.e we lu\e called the bird an ollrich, although it 



B 1 R 



has hitherto been confidered by fomc naturalifts as a caflo. 

 wary. This flitleton affords the belt example of a niiimng 

 bird, which is at the fame time incapable of flight. The 

 ffei num and bones of the wing are fmall ; the centre of 

 gravity is thrown fairly between tlie leg? ; and the iiifenor 

 extremities are long, and of an immeufe dir])ioportionate 

 ihength. Fig. 3. of the fame plate exhibits the flielcton of 

 the larl; whrdi, as being a bird of high flight, forms a 

 linking contrail with fig. 2. 



Plate IX. of the Anatomy of Birds, contains the fl<eleton$ 

 of a climbing and z fwimming bird. Fig. I. is the fl<eleton 

 of the parrot. The body is round and contradled ; the 

 neck fliort, ftrong, and flexible in different diredions ; the 

 iltrnum and bones of the flioulder rather final! ; but its chief 

 charafters are the long thigh, and very fliort metatarfuf, 

 fiirniflicd with the climbing toes ; by which m.eans the bird 

 can grafp any foreign fubliar.ce, and apply the feet to any 

 part of its own body, after the maimer of the prehenfile 

 members of other animals. 



Fi':;. 2. of Plate IX. fhews the ftteleton of the crejled 

 grebe [colymbus crflatus). The neck is much bent ; the 

 parts of the upper extremity rather fmall ; tl;e ribs flrong, 

 and reaching far back ; the fternnm long; and the body 

 pofleffes very ranch the form of a boat ; the hiferior extre- 

 *'mity lituated fai behind, and the tli'gh bone very fliort, and 

 the toes long and e:;pandei^ all vrhich circunitlances are 

 neecfl'aiy to the performance of the aftioiis of fwimming^ 

 and diving with tacihty. 



The feparate parts of the flceletons, in Plates VIII. and 

 IX. in the Ar.atomi of Birds, are indicated as follows. 



Parti compofing the head ; a the occiput, b parietal bone^ 

 c OS frontis, d temporal bone, e os lacrymale, or fupcrciliary 

 bone, f nafal bone, g fupcrior maxilla, h malar bone, i 

 bone of tin upper mandible, k palatine bone, / feptum of 

 the orbits, i;i -'.rticilar bone, » interarlicular bone, zy- 

 goma, p inferior maxil'.a, q bone of the lower n-.andible, r 

 external nares, s deficiency in the feptum of the orbits 

 where the optic foramina open, / temporal foffa, u fpongy 

 bone in the organ of fmell. 



Parts of :he fpiiie and trur.k ; a cervical vertebrx, b their 

 tranfverfe proceffes, c the ftyles which defeend on the fore- 

 part, d articular proceffes, e pofterior fpinous procciles, f 

 fpines on the anterior part uf the bodies of fome of the 

 vertebra', g dorfal vertebrae, h lacral vertebra;, ; vertebrae 

 of the tail, k the lad, or caudal bone, / os ilium, m ilcliium, 

 n pubis, foramen ovale, p ifchiadic foramen, q vertebral, 

 or fdlfe ribs, r the true ribs, s the fternal portions, / inter- 

 cortal procefl'es, u the part of the llernum next the body, i»- 

 the keel, or projecting part, x deficiency at the lower part 

 of the tternal bone. 



Parts belonging to the ivir.g ; a the fork, b the clavicle, c 

 the icapula,, (/ the humerus, e its inner tubtrofity, ^ the ex- 

 ternal tuberofity, g the Ipine for the attachment of the del- 

 toid and peftoral mufe-les, h the ulna, i thu radius, k the 

 carpal bone on the radial fide, / the ulnar carpal bone, m the 

 head ol the metacarpus, n the large branch, the fmaller 

 one, p the llyle of the metacarpus, q the poUex or thumb, 

 r the little finger, s the principal or fore finger. 



The parts of which the lower extremity cotifjls ; a the fe- 

 mur, h its fingle trochanter, c the tibia, d the elongation of 

 tlie head of the tibia which occurs in the grebe, Sic. e the 

 fibula, f the mctaiarlus, g the prominence at the heel, 

 /) the pollex, or back toe, i the principal or anterior toes. 

 Mufles. 



When the writing of the prefent article was begun, it 

 was intended to give a full defcription of the mulcles of 

 birds ; but as the fubjeft has already extended beyond the 



lengtV 



