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Without visible injury, the heart, after beating excessively violently, almost as rapidly slows, the nictitating membrane is drawn over the eyes, the head falls to one side, and the bird becomes lifeless from nervous exhaustion. The beautiful swallows, be tender to them, for they symbol all that is best in nature and all that is best in our hearts.
In the fourth month the upper eye-lid reaches the lower, and the eye remains covered with them until birth. Our craniote ancestors had a third eye-lid, the nictitating membrane, which was drawn over the eye from its inner angle. It is still found in many of the Selachii and Amniotes.
Lupus dropped his burden in sheer amazement, and father and son both faced round in Finn's direction, and glared at him across the intervening ravine. It was a fine picture they saw through the ghostly, misty grey half-light, which already was getting too strong for Tasman's eyes, over which the nictitating membrane was being drawn nervously to and fro as a mark of irritation.
The apes and man have also lost the Harderian gland that opened under the nictitating membrane; we find this in the rest of the mammals, and the birds, reptiles, and amphibia.
The males had great canine teeth, which served them as formidable weapons. At a much earlier period the uterus was double; the excreta were voided through a cloaca; and the eye was protected by a third eyelid or nictitating membrane.
The tail with its horny appendage protruded beneath, and the flat head peeped over above, resting upon the uppermost ring of the body. The nictitating membrane was drawn over its eyes. It appeared to sleep. This I thought strange, as I had heard that the fascinating power of these creatures lay in the eyes.
This I knew first by its size, and next by its position in relation to the head, which was invisible for had it been a rabbit or hare, its ears would have projected. The moment after, the eye itself confirmed this the nictitating membrane was rapidly drawn over it, and as rapidly removed. This membrane is the distinguishing mark of a bird's eye. But what bird?
Marsupials, development of the nictitating membrane in; uterus of; possession of nipples by; their origin from Monotremata; abdominal sacs of; relative size of the sexes of; colours of. Marsupium, rudimentary in male marsupials.
'They merely lower a nictitating membrane which permits them to gaze at light without feeling its full impact. 'I recommend you to bring that into your paper, said the journalist, with his deep chuckle. An hour later they were conversing with no less animation, but the talk was not so critical.
Of those I kept alive several, even the first day, became quite tame, not attempting to bite or to run away; others were a little wilder. The man who caught them asserted that very many are invariably found blind. A specimen which I preserved in spirits was in this state; Mr. Reid considers it to be the effect of inflammation in the nictitating membrane.
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