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Updated: May 5, 2025
But though, in the animistic stage, all powers are conceived by man as being persons, they are not all conceived as having human form: they may be animals, and have animal forms; or birds, and have bird-form; they may be trees, clouds, streams, the wind, the earthquake or the fire.
In the course of time they lose the teeth an advantage in the distribution of the weight of the body while flying and develop horny beaks. In the gradual shaping of the breast-bone and head, also, they illustrate the evolution of the bird-form. But the birds were meantime developing from a quite different stock, and would replace the Pterosaurs at the first change in the environment.
An outline sketch of it would probably be taken by most people as a fantastic design representing a bird-form in combination with leaves, in size and shape resembling poplar leaves, but on leaf-stalks of an impossible length, curving and crossing each other so as to form geometrical figures unlike anything in nature.
The ready answer on the part of the bird-form advocate is, that nature has so designed a flying structure. The argument is not consistent, because in this respect, as in every other, it is not made to conform to the structure which they seek to copy.
Bird-biographies are always in our bookcases; and the bird-form meets our sight everywhere in decorative art Eastern and Western; for its aerial beauty is without parallel in nature; but the living birds, with the exception of the unfortunate captives in cages, are not with us. A robin redbreast in a cage Puts all heaven in a rage,
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