CHARADRIIFORMES. 467 



eleven primary reniiges, a V-shaped furcula, and two carotids. Tliey are 

 aquintocubital. They fall into four groups, the Limicolae, the Lari, the 

 Pterocles and the Columbae. 



Group 1. Limicolae. 



The Limicolae are typically waders and good flj-ers. They are not, as 

 a rule, habitual swimmers. The young are praecoces. 



Fam. Charadriidae. Plovers, etc. They usually lay four spotted eggs. 

 About 100 species ; cosmopolitan. 



Sub-fam. 1. Charadriinae. Premaxillary part of the beak hard. Eu- 

 dromias morinellus L., the dotterel, Europe. Charadrius pliivialis L., 

 the golden plover. Aegialitis hiaticola L., the ringed plover. Ana- 

 rhynchus frontalis Q. and G., the wry-bill of N. Zealand. Vanellus L., 

 lapwings ; V. cristatus Mey., the lapwing, peewit or green plover.* 

 Strepsilas interpres L., the tumstone. Haematopus ostralegics L., 

 the oyster-catcher. Himantopus Barr., the stilts. Recurvirostra 

 avocetta L., the avocet. 



Sub-fam. 2. Tringinae. Premaxillary part of the beak soft and 

 covered with a richly imiervated skin ; beak long, narrow, weak. 

 Phalaropus fulicarius L., the grey phalarope. Tringa alpina, the 

 dunlin. Totanus calidris L., the redshank ; T. {Actitis) hypoleucus 

 Temm., the sandpiper. Machetes pugnax Cuv., the rufi. Limosa 

 Briss., the godwits. Numeniits arquata L., the curlew. 



Sub-fam. 3. Scolopacinae. The beak is long, and its premaxillary 

 part is soft, covered by a richly irmervated skin, and somewhat 

 swollen. Scolopax rusticida L., the woodcock. GaUina-go caelestis 

 L., the common snipe ; G. gallinula L., the jack snipe. 

 Fam. Chionididae. SheathbUls. Antarctic Seas. 



Fam. Glareolidae. With Glareola, the pratincole ; Cursorius, Pluvianus. 

 Fam. Dromadidae. Dramas. 

 Fam. ThiDOCOridae. With Thinocorys, Attagis. 



Fam. Oedicnemidae. Without the hind toe. Oedicnemus scolopax 

 Gm. {crepitans Tem.), the stone-curlew. 



Fam. Parridae. Long-toed jacanas, with Parra, Hydro phasiarms, etc. 



Group 2. Lari. 



The Lari are typically swimmers and good flyers. The anterior toes 

 have swimming membranes. Hallux small or absent. Mainly pisci- 

 vorous. Young covered with down when hatched, but remaining for 

 some time in the nest and fed by the parents. 



Fam. Laridae. Wings long and pointed, praecoces. The sexes are 

 similar. 



Sub-fam. 1. Larinae. Gulls and skuas. Beak usually shorter than 

 the head. About 50 species, cosmopolitan, mainly marine. Ster- 

 corarius pomatorhinus, the pomatorhine skua ; Megalestris catarractes 

 L., the great skua. Rissa tridactyla L., the kittiwake. Larus L., 

 gulls. 



* Often served by cooks of a certain class as golden plovers. Diners 

 who are imable to distinguish between the two by the coarser flavour of 

 the lapwing, may do so by means of the sternum. In the golden plover 

 there are two emarginations on each side of the posterior end of tliis bone ; 

 in the lapwing the inner of these is bridged so as to become a fenestration. 



