INTRODUCTION Ixxxix 



1'. Feet incompletely or not at all webbed. 



If the bird you want to name has fully webbed feet, read down 

 the key from 1 ; if not, go to 1', and read down. The numbers fol- 

 low consecutively from each heading. In this case the birds with 

 fully webbed feet are divided again into several classes, and those 

 without fully webbed feet also have subdivisions. 



1. Feet fully webbed (except Grebes in Pygopodes, which have the toes 

 lobed or margined). 

 2. Foot with three webs, all four toes connected. 



Steganopodes : Totipalmate Swimmers, p. 3. 

 2'. Foot with two webs, three front toes connected. 



3. Nostrils tabular . Tubiiiares : Tube-nosed Swimmers, p. 3. 

 3'. Nostrils not tubular. 



4. Edg'es of mandibles toothed or serrate. 



Anseres : Lamellirostral Swimmers, p. 3. 

 4'. Edg-es of mandibles not toothed or serrate. 

 5. Legs placed far back, wings short. 



Pygopodes : Diving Birds, p. 2. 

 5'. Legs placed near middle of body ; wings long and jjointed. 



Longipennes : Long-winged Sw^immers, p. 2. 

 1'. Feet incompletely or not at all webbed. 

 2. Lores and ring around eye naked. 



Herodioiies : Herons, Storks, and Ibises, p. 4. 

 2'. Lores and ring around eye feathered. 



3. Hind toe long- and approximately on a level with front toes (except 

 in Cranes which are over three feet long). 



Paludicolae : Cranes, Rails, Coots, Gallinules, etc., p. 4. 



3'. Hind toe short and elevated or absent : bird never over twenty-six 



inches long Limicolce : Shore Birds, p. 4. 



Read down the key, passing the orders to which it does not 

 belong till you come to the order to which it does belong. For in- 

 stance, if your bird is a duck it has feet fully webbed (1), with two 

 webs, three front toes connected (2'), nostrils not tubular (3'), and 

 edges of mandibles toothed or serrate (4). It belongs to the Order 

 Anseres: Lamellirostral Swimmers. If, on the other hand, the bird 

 you want to name is a great blue heron, as it has not fully webbed 

 feet, you throw out 1 and all its subdivisions, passing on to 1', — 

 feet incompletely or not at all webbed. The rtrst subdivision here 

 is 



2. Lores and ring around eye naked. 



Herodiones : Herons. Storks, and Ibises. 



You know if there is a naked ring around tbe eye, and to fmd 

 what lores means you turn to tlie diagram of a bird, p. 1. ^^'hen 

 you find that your bird belongs to Onler Herodiones, turn to the 

 page given (4), where you will find a key to the families in the order. 



