However, if you go to the British Museum, look out for a large stone
slab covered with footprints of birds. It was taken from a quarry in an
American valley, and is a piece of sandstone, which was once soft enough
to receive the impress of the feet of the giant wading-bird, probably much
larger than an ostrich, which once walked across it with long strides. You
will also trace upon it the tracks of smaller birds. In New Zealand very
large bones of an extinct bird have been found, but the most remarkable
remains have been discovered in Germany of a bird which has been given the
name of "Lizard-tailed," because it has a tail with vertebrae, from each
joint of which feathers spring. Three claws are attached to the ends of the
wing-bones, like the single claw of the bat. What is left of this specimen,
which is thought to have been about the size of a rook, is to be seen in
the Natural History branch of the South Kensington Museum. I mention this
in case you should have a chance of visiting it there.
And now, to speak of those birds which we know best, I think there are
none which seem to belong to us so much as these three--the thrush, the
blackbird, and the robin; for they are with us all the year. The thrush
begins to sing very early, before there are any leaves for him to hide
himself among, while the robin's song is heard not only in autumn, but in
winter when all others are silent. All these birds feed upon worms and
insects, not on grain and fruit like the larks and finches and starlings;
but they are very glad of berries in winter when they can get them.
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