The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-27
CHANGED FROM
SNAKE TO BIRD
Reptiles in Far-Distant Past
Gradually Changed to Fea-
theret Creatures.

At first sight birds and lizards soem TO
be d bout as far apart as any two races
Of living creature could vel! DO. Yet
the family has developed directly from
reptiles. and tho differences between them
are far less than those between any
other two Of tho great families.
Finding that there was a plentiful sup
ply o. food in tho air in tho shape OF
flying Insects, certain Of the smaller rep
tiles OF the earth's earl wages gradually
developed wings IN order to feed on It.
There WAS thus evolved a dying lizard,
the remains OF which are often found
fossilized, and which VIC call tho
pterodactyl. It's wings were bntlike. and
It's powers Of flight not SO great as those
of bird. Tho creatures scales gradually
turned to feathers, and the bird OF tho
present age was tho result
That this Is no mere conjecture Is
de,lnjtely proved by that very odd brazil
liam tird, the touraco, or gypsy. The
tnuraco Is about tho size OF a pheasant.
and cutwardly has. a birdlike appearance
But on dissectng 1t its internal economy
IS found tn be quite unlike thnt OF other
birds. and to strongly resemble that Of
PROVIDED WITH CLAWS.
\ ne most pOlul ehOous
The touraco is, however, that Its young,
when first Matched, have reptilclike heads
and are. moreover, provided with claws
upon their wings. They do not attempt
to tly for some weeks, hut crawl about
on el-fours, just as young reptiles do.
They cnn use their wingclaws for climb
Ing UP branch. a nesting thrown
into the water dives at once like frog.
and 1t is almost impossible to catch II.
No hirdS IN not HV VIGIL.
nnd altogether the touraco, offers plain
proof Of tho near relationship between
birds and reptiles.
Young whales possess few brlstles
around the mouth, feature which be-
longs to no fish. 1t Is only one OF
many proofs that whales and Ill their
family were at one time land creatures.
and only took to the sea because tney
found the competition ashore too severe
Tor them
Whales have warm blood like ourselves.
lungs for breathing air. and, Instead OF
laying eggs like fish, and leaving them
10 chance, they tend their young as
carefully as do any land animals. Tho
tall Of the whale IS another point In
which It absolutely differs from hsn.
1t IS placed so as to lie fiat on tho
surface Of the water; fish have their
tails set upright or edgewilya.
All the cctacea, In fact-lhat family
which includes tho whales, porpolscs, and
dclrh.ns-are merely land animals which
have, for convenience sake, taken 70 q
nlarlne lifo and have gradually assumed
a fshlke form, according to lhe needs
OF their new method Of existence.
sTILL SLOWLY CHANGING.
The sumo may be said of all the seal
and walrus family. though these as they
still spond portion Of their life on land
have not become so entirely flshllke In
form as the whales. The seals seen on
our British coasts have, however, become
much more fshlike than tent fur seals
The latter have external ears. which the
former have not and the tlippers OF our
native seals arc much more HHllks IN
shape than the limbs Of our fur seals.
Animals and birds may be nctunlly
watched In process Of changing their nn-
tmre, The Australian rabbit, though only
half q century descended from the orul,
nary British species, Is already different
n ON Its ancestors. Its claws are deYel-
oping. and In some parts OF the lslana
continent, where gass Is scarce, the Aus
trallan rabbit Is becoming tree'cllI1lpss
IT Is often seen at some Eelsnt from t"o
ground grazing on leaves,
The owl parrot Of New Zealand is an
othes which has completely changed ITS
habits within q few generations FROM
being an insect eater It has, since the ~.
PRODUCTION Of sheep into New Zealand,
turned into carnevous bird.
The descendants OF domestic cats,
abundoncd on an island off the coast Of
south America, were found few years
later to have entirely changed their habits.
They had not only reverted 70 tho
shape and color Of their Wild ancestors
of centuries back, but had learned to
like the water ana taken to diet OF fish.
--l.ondon Answers