4 o 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [V ok. XXXVII. 



It is safe to say that all of the typical ostrich forms are 

 descended from some common stock. As will be seen further 

 on, the Apterygidae are not considered to have any special 

 relationship with the ostriches ; they are altogether a different 

 kind of bird. 



A complete account of the comparative osteology of the 

 Dromaeognathae would of itself make a large volume, so only 

 such information as is necessary for the purposes of classifica- 

 tion and to exhibit the general features of the skeleton among 

 these birds is presented here. 



Several years since I wrote out a brief account of Strut/no 

 camelus, with the intention of setting forth the various views 

 entertained by avian taxonomers and osteologists as to its sys- 

 tematic position since 1865, and to give the main features of 

 its skeleton. A good deal that I recorded was selected from 

 the observations of Huxley, the Parkers, and others, for many 

 anatomists have described more or less completely the oste- 

 ology of Struthio, and have held many opinions as to its affini- 

 ties. These opinions are becoming, however, more and more 

 unanimous. The researches of the ornithopalaeontologists have 

 also greatly assisted the solution of the problem. 



In my account referred to above I pointed out further that, 

 of all the class Aves, Struthio camelus Linn, is the largest 

 species of bird in existence, and it has been known, described, 

 and written about for ages. Of recent years some naturalists 

 have been disposed to recognize more than one form of African 

 ostrich, but the claim has not as yet been fully established. 1 



Suborder I. Struthiornitb.es. 



Family StruthioniDjE : Struthio camelus. 

 Newton holds the opinion that "The genus Struthio forms 

 the type of one group of the subclass Ratitae, which differs so 

 widely from the rest in points that have been concisely set 

 forth by Professor Huxley (Proc. Zobl. Soe., 1867, p. 419) as 

 to justify us in regarding it as an order, to which the name 

 11 1 dTfT' A " °b rich '" Dictionary °f Birds ' Pt - m > PP- 662-666. The 



