Re: Life of Birds (vertical running)

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/9/01 10:33:56 PM EST, kinman@hotmail.com writes:

<< So predator evasion could have been both the driving force for the 
 initial development of feathers (even before brooding), as well as the later 
 driving force toward powered flight.  I obviously believe that evolving 
 strategies to evade predators is certainly a excellent way ensure that one 
 will survive and reproduce. >>

Like so many other uses of feathers, vertical running cannot take place 
before feathers appear, and therefore cannot have been the "driving force for 
the initial development of feathers." Natural selection cannot operate on a 
feature that is absent in order to bring the feature into existence. 
Otherwise, we'd all have feathers, and hair, and hundreds of legs, etc.