Abstract
THE author in his preface intimates that “the aim of this book is an ambitious one,” namely, “to give good evidence of the development of birds from reptilian ancestors. … and ‘among other subjects] to make clear the main principles of their noble accomplishment, flight.” To the former of these aims Mr. Headley devotes his first five chapters, comparing the differences and resemblances observable in the skeleton and the internal structure of birds and reptiles, and the “ancestral peculiarities.” that, having “survived all change of habit,” mark their relationship. He then discusses the processes of life that go on within the bird, and make it so different from its lethargic reptilian ancestors, giving a description of the anatomical structure and physiological action of its chief organs. The following paragraph, from the description of the heart and circulation, will exemplify Mr. Headley's style and method of exposition:—
The Structure and Life of Birds.
By F. W. Headley, Assistant Master at Haileybury College. 8vo. Pp. xx. + 412, with seventy-eight illustrations. (London: Macmillan and Co., 1895.)
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The Structure and Life of Birds. Nature 53, 3 (1895). https://doi.org/10.1038/053003a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/053003a0