Archæop/terix

(Paleontol.) A remarkable fo il bird of the Jura ic geological period, the oldest bird known to exist, and of special interest in the strikingly close relation between birds and reptiles which it indicates. It was about the size of a crow, with a tail 8 or 9 inches long, composed of vertebræ (unlike other birds), with feathers arranged in pairs corresponding to each vertebræ. It was provided with teeth, and the three fingers of its wing terminated in claws. Two specimens of this interesting fo il exist, both found in the lithographic limestone of Solenhofen, Bavaria. The head, chest and forelimbs were reptilian, while the hind extremities were like those of birds of prey.