THE FIRST BIRDS 9] 
and they came into their kingdom in the Cainozoic 
Hra. : 
4. Birds——-I do not think I need describe this 
great class of the Vertebrate Animals. You know 
a bird when you see one, but I am sure you would 
have some difficulty in giving exact reasons for a 
bird being a bird! Fossil remains of birds have 
been found, but in no great quantity. The dis- 
covery of the fossil Archeopteryx (Greek, arche=a 
beginning, and pteryz=a wing) in Bavaria a good 
many years ago aroused some popular interest, and 
with excellent reason. It was the remains in a 
Jurassic limestone of the earliest kind of bird of 
which we have any knowledge. The Archzxopteryx 
was about the size of a rook, but it was not at all 
like that bird in appearance. It had no beak, and 
its head was more like that of a reptile than a bird’s. 
Its jaws were toothed, and it had a peculiar lizard- 
like tail. Yet it was a genuine bird, and had plenty 
of feathers. Fossil remains of birds have been got 
out of the Cretaceous strata of Europe and North 
America, and more modern species have been 
occasionally turned out of Eocene deposits. 
5. Mammals are so called because they suckle 
their young. They are lung-breathers and warm- 
blooded. Man stands at the head of the Class. The 
Lion, Tiger, Elephant, Sheep, Pig, Rabbit, Ox, and 
Kangaroo, are well-known examples. The Class 
also includes Whales. Mammals began their career 
in quite a small way in Triassic times, but it was 
not until the Cainozoic Era that they began to 
abound in any great variety, and demonstrate their 
superiority to their predecessors. Eocene strata 
