442 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
South. Its serviceableness is incalculable for the carrion it devours, but its 
repulsive appearance and foetid odor make it especially repulsive. 
THE OSTRICH FAMILY. 
In the introductory remarks describing the general characteristics of birds, 
I endeavored to briefly explain the analogies that seem to exist between reptiles 
and birds, which serve 
to connect the tw r o spe¬ 
cies by a well-defined 
link. In this closing 
department of birds I 
will therefore introduce 
The Ostrich Family 
which supply a link 
that binds together birds 
and mammals. With 
the explanations given 
we find incontestable 
proofs of the universal 
chain that binds all na¬ 
ture in a well connected 
whole, and the beautiful 
harmony that exists in 
all the orders of creation, 
exhibiting a gradual de¬ 
velopment that excites 
our admiration no less 
than our reverence for 
the Master-hand of 
such wise and beneficent 
bestowal, who d o e t h 
all things so generously 
and with such marvel¬ 
lous perfection. 
The most conspicu¬ 
ous differences that 
serve to distinguish 
birds from mammals 
may be briefly stated 
as follows, viz.: the for¬ 
mer have two legs and 
are covered with feathers, while the latter have four legs and are provided with 
a covering of fur. Some quadrupeds, however, are destitute of fur, being 
supplied instead with bristles, like the hedge-hog, or quills like the porcupine, 
or a scaly armor, like the armadillos, etc. Again, there are mammals that have 
no legs, the cetaceans for example, and others that have only rudimentary legs, 
or flippers, sugh as the phoca , or seal family. Hence, we find that the differ¬ 
ences between mammals and quadrupeds is no less marked than is the dis¬ 
tinction between birds and mammals. 
alpine condors (Sarcorhamphus gryphus). 
