These were some rough concept design sketches I did for Tezalapuco's Mirror, I think that is correct spelling sorry folks I'm still under the weather, which ran in the two issues of Steam Victorian. It was a story I collaborated on with the late Gerald Perkins and provided the illustrations for.
Due to the time period and the feel of the story, Gerald really wanted ornithopters in the story. Being something of an aviation nut and having built a fair number of flying models I knew exactly why we haven't seen much in the way of ornithopters, but after much going back and forth we agreed that they were really just powered gliders and that they used the flapping primarily just for additional lift and speed occassionally. In fact they flew very much like condors due taking advantage of thermals and updrafts whenever possible. The craft were unable to takeoff by themselves from the ground without the benefit of catapults or primative rocket assist. Usually they'd launch and retrieve from the dirigable they were assign to. It was stretch but they looked cool. Definitely type three tech.