46 KEY AND DESCRIPTION 



N. Nostrils exposed ; tarsus not scutellate behind ; nail of hind toe very- 

 long but curved ; i wing, 3-3J long VI. Pipits, etc. 



N. Nostrils exposed ; wing over 3| long ; breast with jellow 



XIV. Meadow Larks. 



N. Not as above ; some forms in XIII. Finches, etc. 



0. Plumage mottled browns and soft ; middle toe much longer than 

 the side ones ; its nail (pectinated) with saw-like teeth on the inner 



side^ X.\I. Goatsuckers, etc. 



0. Plumage compact ; nail of middle toe not pectinated. (P.) 

 P. Tail of stiff feathers (in our common species the tail is rounded, with 



stiff shafts extending beyond the webs) ^ XX. Swifts. 



P. Tail without stiff feathers and never rounded, often forked and with- 

 out spinous tips ; head never crested. ... XI. Swallows. 



P. Tail nearly square ; its feathers tipped with yellow, head crested*. . . 



.... X. Waxwings. 



Q, Bill stout and decidedly hooked, higher at base than long ; bright- 

 colored bird with yellow, orange, and green feathers 



XXVI. Parrots. 



Q. Bill stout and straight ;'' tail feathers stiff and acute-pointed « 



XXII. Woodpeckers. 



Q. Bill various, but always somewhat curved and without teeth along 



the cutting edge ; tail long, of round-tipped soft feathers 



XX\'. Cuckoos, etc. 



Q. Bill short, broad, and decidedly toothed;^ tail long, of IJ broad 

 feathers XXIV. Trogons. 



Key to the Families of Wading Birds 



* Toes in front webbed to the nails like the duck's ; * bill with teeth-like 



ridges, also like the duck's ; legs with the tai-sus 12 inches or more 

 long ; Florida XLIX. Flamingoes. 



* Nails of the toes excessively lengthened and nearly straight ; nail of the 



hind toe much longer than its toe ; ® southern Texas 



XXXV. Jacanas. 



* Birds with neither full-webbed toes nor nails lengthened and straight- 



ened. (A.) 



;^> 





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