100 THE SPINE. 



to the islands which it inhabits, after its long excur- 

 sions over the northern ocean. 



The most remarkable general property of this 

 skeleton is its compactness, and the equal perfection 

 with which, as an artist would say, all its points are 

 made out. None of the bones are very long ; and 

 those of the legs, as the bird is not much in the habit 

 of walking, are rather short ; but they are firm and 

 well proportioned, and the processes toward their 

 extremities, whether for giving firmness to the joint, 

 insertion to the muscles, or lever power to the ten- 

 dons, are very conspicuous. 



The general form of the spine, as it has already 

 been hinted at, can be seen in this example. The 

 vertebrae of the neck all admit of ready motion ; and 

 the position of repose, or that in which all the bones 

 bear equally upon each other, is a curve. 



All the verl:ebrae of the back, at least as far as the 

 posterior edge of the sternum on the under side, are 

 soldered together, and afford a firm base for the blade 

 bones, which are considerably produced, and lie 

 nearly parallel to the mesial line of the sj)ine. The 

 coracoid bones are strong, and enlarged at their 

 extremities where they meet the anterior edge of the 

 sternum, though they are more flattened there, so as 

 to agree in thickness \nth that bone. The furcal 

 bone is also a perfect circle, and placed with its flat 

 side in the direction of the strain, so that it resists the 

 separating or bringing together of the shoulder joints, 

 the grand centres of motion for the wings, in the most 

 powerful manner that could be obtained from the 

 same Cjuantity of bone. This bone, it will be per- 

 ceived too, forms a large opening, in which the neck 



