282 



Family VII. OTIDID.^. 



Palate schizognathous. 



Nasals holorhinal. 



Eectrices 16 to 20. 



8teruum with two notches on each side of the posterior margin. 



C«3ca present. 



Oil-gland absent. 



An aftershaft to the contour-feathers. 



A giilar pouch (in some species). 



Ambiens muscle present. Femoro-caudal absent. Accessory 

 f emoro-caudal, semitendinosus, and accessory semitendinosus present. 



No lateral bare tract on side of neck. 



Bill rather flattened and obtuse, the nostrils ovate and pervious ; 

 the frontal feathers descending to the hinder margin of the nostrils. 



Wings with the secondaries almost as long as the primaries. 



Tarsi longer than middle toe and claw, covered with reticulate 

 scales, the toes scaled across, the nails flattened, with a horny 

 lateral edge ; no hallux. 



Nest a slight depression under a tuft of grass, with or without 

 lining. 



Eggs double-spotted, olive, with obsolete brown shading. 



Nestlings covered with light down mottled with black, and able 

 to run soon after birth. 



Key to the Gemrx. 



Feathers of the lower throat and fore neck 

 not conspicuously elongated so as to 

 form an overhanging shield over the 

 crop. 

 a' . Cheeks with long whisker-like feathers, 

 not spatulate at the ends, the shafts 

 of these plumes provided with segre- 

 gated barbs ; tarsus short, the wing 

 being about four times the length of 

 the tarsus ; bill short and high ; cul- 

 raen less than middle toe and claw . . ]. Oxis^ p. 233. 

 b' . Cheeks without whisker-like feathers ; a 

 crest of elongated plumes on the nape 

 or hind neck. 

 a" . A full tuft of elongated plumes on 

 the nape and hind neck ; tarsus veiy 

 short, the wing four times its 



length 2. Tetrax, p. 287. 



h" . Crest confined to the nape. 



a". Nuchal crest composed of long 

 coloured plumes ; tarsus long ; 



