THE HERONS AND BOATBIUjb. 



SUBORDER HERODIL HERONS AND BOATBILLS. 



The Herodii contain two families, distinguished by the follow- 

 characters : 



a. 1 Bill lance-shaped, or compressed, narrow, and pointed, its lateral outlines nearly 

 straight, the gonys several times longer than the width of the under mandi- 

 ble Ardeidae. 



a.- Bill shaped like a broad inverted boat; its lateral outlines much bowed, and the gouys 

 not longer than width of under mandible Cochleariidsev 



The CochlearvidcB are not represented in our fauna, being 

 peculiar to tropical America. 



