page_0032

The Pterodactyl was not the ancestor
of our birds though donbtlers the same condition
which led up to this type were
for the bird type.

The very oldest bird of which we have
record of is the fossil [archaeopteryx] from the
jurassic rocks of Barvaria. This bird possessed
teeth, a long lizard like tail, with two rows of
lateral feathers extending backward from
the arm for flyers. A comparison of the
[Archacopterx] with certain of the ancient lizards
shows that birds and reptiles were one scarcely
distinguishable except for the presence of feathers
on birds.

The great instrument of dry land invasion
was the back bone and the great instrument
of aerial invasion was the wing, probably

in reptites and surely perfected in birds
It may be possible that there were in some of
the reptites soft modifications of the scales
which greatly decreased their specific gravity
and made it possible for them to spring
up from the ground and for a short period
flap about suspended in the atmosphere by
exhausted labor. This tendency to fly brought
about replacement of scales by feathers.

Birds and reptiles show a similar