Excerpt from Notes on the Osteology and Relationship of the Fossil Birds of the Genera Hesperornis Hargeria Baptornis and DiatrymaThis would throw the center of effort farther forward in the old diving birds than in modern species, and mav be due to the use of the muscles either while capturing fish or in moving about on land.The synsacrum seems to have comprised ten vertebrae, but this is not certain, the first of which belongs to the dorsal series and bore a rib. The sacrum of Hesperornis contained fourteen vertebrae. N oth ing of the pelvis is present save the anterior portion of an ilium, and this, although weathered, resembles the corresponding portion of the ilium of Hesperornis. The dorsal vertebrae were all free, and so were the ossa innominata in both Baptornis and Hesperornis, but this free dom is to be regarded as due to the aquatic habits of these birds and not as morphological characters. While the bones of aquatic animals are heavier than are those of land animals, ossification and union between contiguous parts takes place much more slowly, and in such strictly aquatic birds as the penguin and great auk the dorsal vertebrae and ossa innominata are similarly free.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.