2 ALTRICIAL GPtALLATORES — HERODIONES. 



this connection is tlie circumstance that, besides being altricial, they are, with 

 very few exceptions, also decidedly arboreal, most of them even placing their 

 nests on trees. They are all swimmers, however, instead of being strictly or in 

 part waders. 



Without discussing further the characters which distinguish this ''order," we 

 proceed to deiine the families into which it seems most naturally divisible. 



Synopsis of the American Herodionine Families. 



A. Pteryloe very narrow, interspersud with " i)owder-clo\vu " tracts. Hallux perfectly incumbent ; 



inner edge of middle claw distinctly pectinated. {Herodiones anleiformes, :^ Herodii, 

 SuNDEV. Metli. Nat. Av. Disp. Tent. 1872, 122.) 



1. Cancromidae. Four ]iaiis nt powder-down tracts. Bill greatly depressed and excessively 



dilated laterally, the lateral outlines much bowed ; gonys excessively short, not longer 

 than the width of the mandibular rami. 



2. Ardeidae. Two to three pairs of })o\vder-do\vn tracts. Bill compressed, elongate-conical, 



the lateral outlines straight or even a little concave ; the vertical outlines nearly straight, 

 slightly convex ternuually ; gonys lengthened, several times longer than the width of the 

 mandibular rami. 



B. Pteryhx! broad, without powder-down tracts. Hallux elevated at the base above the base 



of the anterior toes ; inner edge of middle claw not pectinated ; claics resting wpon a 

 Jioniji, crescentic ^' shoe." {Herodiones ciconiiformes, = Pelarc/i, Sundev, Meth. Nat. Av. 

 Disp. Tent. 1872, 12:3.) 

 a. Sides of the maxilla without any trace of lateral groove. Skull holorhinal. Angle of the 

 mandible truncated. Pedoralis major muscle in two easily separable layers. No accessory 

 femoro-caudul muscle; semitendinosus muscle tendinous for its distal half; hice2)s cubiti 

 and tensor imicujii lonfjus muscles unconnected. (Garrod, P. Z. S. 1875, 301.) 



3. Ciconiidae. Bill elongate-conical, either straight or curved a little up or down at the end. 

 h. Sides of the maxilla with a deep, narrow grocjve, extending uninterruptedly from the nasal 



fossae to the extreme tip of the bill. Skull schizorhinal. Angle of the mandible i^ro- 

 duced and decurved. Pectoralis major muscle simple (not separable into distinct layers) ; 

 accessory femoro-camlal muscle well developed ; semitendinosus muscle musciilar through- 

 out ; biceps cubiti and tensor 'patarjii longiis muscles connected by a small muscular " belly." 

 (Garrod.) 



4. Ibididae. Bill slender, attenuated terminally, nearly cylindrical or somewhat compressed, 



conspicuously decurved, or arched above. 



5. Plataleidae. Bill very broad, excessively depressed and greatly expanded terminally, much 



narrowed across the middle portion, the extreme tip only much decurved. 



In addition to the above well-defined families, all of which have American 

 representatives, Avhile one (Cancromidci') is peculiarly American, there are sev- 

 eral others which probably belong to the Jleroclioiies, but which, excepting the 

 Eurypyghhi; (Sun Bitterns), are peculiar to the Old World, and may therefore 

 be passed by without further notice. 



Family ARDEID^. — The Herons. 



Char. Altricial waders having tlio bill compressed, pointed, all the outlines 

 nearly straight ; the lores and orbits naked ; the rest of the head (except, some- 

 times, the malar region, or part of the throat) feathered, the occiput frequently 

 with ornamental plumes. Lower part of the neck, back, or scapulars, fre- 



