ARTIFICIAL KEY TO THE FAMILIES. 237 



ARTIFICIAL KEY TO THE FAMILIES. 



Page 



TOES 3, — 2 IN FRONT, 1 BEHIND . PlCID« 57C 



TOES 3, -3 IN FRONT. (Go to II.) 



TOES 4, — 2 IN FRONT, 2 BEHIND. (Go tO III.) 



TOES 4, — 3 IN FRONT, 1 BEHIND. (Go to IV.) 



II. [Toes 3, — 3m front.] 



Toes — completely webbed. Nostrils — tubular (Albatrosses) DiOMEDEiDiE 1022 



— not tubular (Auks, etc.) Alcid^ 1059 



— incompletely or not webbed. Legs — about as long as wings. Bill subulate (Stilt) . Recurvirostrid^ 789 

 — much shorter than wings (go to a). 



(a) Tarsus — scutellate in front, about as long as bill (Sanderling) Scolopacid.e 798 



— reticulate in front — shorter than red chisel-like bill (Oyster-catcher) . . . H«matopodid.e 787 

 — longer than bill (Plovers) Charadriid^ 767 



III. [Toes 4, — 2 ix front, 2 behind.] 



Bill — cered and strongly hooked. Tarsus granulated (^Parrot) Arid« 6145 



— not cered ; inner hind toe — 3-jointed ; plumage iridescent (Trogon) Trogonid^ 575 



— 2-jointed ; tail of — 8 or 10 soft feathers (Cuckoos, etc.) .... Cuculid^ 602 

 — 12 (apparently only 10) rigid acuminate feathers 



(Woodpeckers) Picid.e 576 



IV. [Toes 4, — 3 in front, 1 behind.] 



Hind toe — inserted above the level of the rest (and always shorter than the shortest front toe). (Go to A.) 



— NOT inserted above THE LEVEL OF THE REST (aND GENERALLY BUT NOT ALWAYS NOT SHORTER THAN 



THE SHORTEST FRONT TOE). (Go tO B.) 



A. [The hind toe elevated.'] 

 Feet — TOTiPALMATE (dtl 4 toes trebbed ; hind toe semi-lateral and barely elevated). (Go to A.) 



— PALMATE (3 front toes full-webbed, hind toe well itp, or else connected by slight webbing to base only of inner 



toe). (Go to B.) 



— LOBATE {Z front toes partly webbed or not, and conspicuously bordered with plain or scalloped membranes ; 



hind toe free, and simple or lobed). (Go to C.) 



— SEMIPALMATE (2, Or 3, front toes webbed at base only by small yet evident membrane; hind toe well up, 



simple). (Go to D.) 



— SIMPLE (front toes with no evident membranes ; hind toe simple). (Go to E.) 



(A.) Tarsus — feathered, partly ; tail deeply forked ; biU epignathous (Frigate-bird) Fregatid.e 969 



— naked ; bill — > tail, hooked at tip, furnished with enormous pouch (Pelicans) . . Pelecanid^ 956 

 — < tail ; throat — feathered ; middle tail feathers filamentous (Tropic-birds) 



PHAiiTHONTID^ 971 



— naked ; tail — pointed, soft ; tomia subserrate (Gannets) Sulid^e 953 

 — rounded, stiff; bill — paragnathous (Anhinga) 



Anhinoid^ 968 

 — epignathous (Cormorants) 



PhalacrocoracidjE 959 



(B.) Bill — curved up, extremely slender and acute (Avocet) Recurvirostrid^ 789 



— bent abruptly dovra, very stout, lamellate (Flamingo) Phcenicopterid^ 888 



— lamellate ; mostly membranous, with nail at end (Swans, Geese, Ducks, etc.) Anatid.e 890 



-■ not lamellate ; nostrils — tubular ; liind toe very small (Petrels) Procellariid.(E 1026 



— not tubular ; hind toe — free, not lobed ; bill — cered (Jaegers) 



STERCORARIID.E 975 



— not cered (Gulls, Terns, 



etc.) Larid.« 982 



— not free, lobed (Loons) Gaviid.b 1047 



(C.) Tail — rudimentary; lores naked (Grebes) Podicipedid.*: 1051 



— perfect ; forehead covered with a horny shield (Coots) Rallid.*: 850 



— feathered (Phalaropes) Phalaropodid.e 793 



