HELIORNITHID^. 229 



Family II. HELIORNITHIDiE. 



Palate schizognathous. 



Nasals holorhinal. 



Eectrices 18. 



C»ca moderately long. 



Oil-gland tufted. 



No aftershaft to contour-feathers. 



Sternum elongated, with a single notch ; keel of the sternum 

 low. 



Clavicles with an anterior and posterior interclavicular process, 

 the latter firmly attached to the keel of the sternum. 



Basipterygoid processes absent. 



Occi])ital foramina and supraorbital furrows absent ; no greatly 

 developed temporal fossas. 



Biceps slip ending freely on patagial membrane ; expansor secund- 

 ariarium well developed. 



Ambiens, femoro-caudal, accessory femoro-caudal, and semiteudi- 

 nosus muscles present ; accessory semitendiuosus absent ; relations 

 of biceps cruris peculiar {cf. Beddard, /. c). 



Plumage close-set and general appearance that of a diving Rail ; 

 toes with scalloped lateral webs. 



Nest and eggs unknown. Young of Heliornis, according to Neu- 

 wied, two, hatched naked. 



N.B. — Most of the above characters are derived from Mr. F. E. 

 Beddard's paper on the anatomy of Podica senegalensts (P. Z. S. 1890, 

 pp. 425-443, pi. xxxix.). 



Key to tlie Genera. 



a. Tail elongated, stiffened and ribbed, the 



tVatliers pointed and narrow 1. Podica, p. 229. 



h. Tail sluirt and romidcd, the feathers not 

 stiffened but rather soft and broad. 

 a'. Toes united only at base with a web, and 



not banded with yellow 2. Heliopais, p. 232. 



h'. Toes united by a web for nearly two thu-ds 

 of their length, banded with black and 

 yellow 3. Heliobnis, p. 233. 



1. PODICA. ^ 



Podica, Less. Traiti (FOrn. p. 506 (1831) P. senegalensis. 



Rhigelura, Wagler, Isis, 1832, p. 1229 P. senegalensis. 



Podoa, Bp. {nee IlUy.) t'onsp. ii. p. 182 (1856) P. senegalensis. 



lianije. Confined to Africa. 



