g6 DICTIONARY OF BIRDS 



all even Passerine. The following table shews the result of a comparison 

 of the two modes as regards the Laminiplantares, and may be found conveni- 

 ent by the reader : — 



Mr. Mater, 1880. Sundevall, 1872-73. 



1. Dentirostres,! — practically equal to 1. CiclilomorpliEe. 



2. Latirostres/ ., 6. Chelidonomorphae. 



3. Curvirostres, „ 4. Certhiomorphse.^ 



4. Tenuirostres, ,, 5. Cinnyrimorphs. 



5. Conirostres, ,, 2. Conirostres. 



6. Cultrirostres, ,, 3. Coliomorphse. 



These six groups Mr. Sclater thinks may be separated without much 

 difficulty, though on that point the proceedings of some later writers (a 

 notable instance of which he himself cites) shew that doubt may still be 

 entertained ; but he rightly remarks that, " when we come to attempt to 

 subdivide them, there is room for endless varieties of opinion as to the 

 nearest allies of many of the forms," and into further details he does not 

 go. It will be perceived that, like so many of his predecessors, he accords 

 the highest rank to the Dentirostres, which, as has before been hinted, 

 seems to be a mistaken view that must be considered in the sequel. 



Leaving the Passeres, the next " Order " is Picarise, of which Mr. 

 Sclater proposes to make six Suborders: — (1) Pici, with 2 Families; 

 (2) Cypseli, with 3 ramilies,^ practically equal to the Macrochires of 

 Nitzsch ; (3) Anisodcictylse, with 12 Families — Coliidas, Alcedinidse, Bucero- 

 tidx, Upupidse, Irrisoridee, Meropid<e, Momotidse, Todidse, Coraciidse, Lepto- 

 somidx, Podargidse and Steatornithidse ; (4) Heterodadylse, consisting only 

 of the Trogons ; (5) Zygodadylse, with 5 Families, Galbulidss, Bucconidse, 

 Bhampliastidse, Capitonidse and Indicatoridx ; and (6) Coccyges, composed 

 of the two Families Cuculidee and Alusophagidae. That all these may be 

 most conveniently associated under the name Picarise seems likely enough, 

 and the first two " Suborders " are probably natural groups, though 

 possibly groups of different value. In regard to the rest comment is for 

 the present deferred. The Psittaci, Striges and Accipitres, containing 

 respectively the Parrots, Owls and diurnal Birds - of - Prey, form the 

 next three "Orders" — the last being held to include 3 Families, 

 Falconidx, Cathartidee and Serpentariidx (Secretary-bird), which is 

 perhaps the best that can be done with them. We have then the 

 Steganopodes to make the Sixth " Order," consisting of the 5 Families 

 usually grouped together as by Brandt {supra, page 62) and others, and 

 these are followed naturally enough by the Herons under the name of 

 Herodiones, to which the three Families Ardeidee, Ciconiidee (Stork) and 

 Plataleidse (Spoonbill) are referred ; but the Flamingoes, under Nitzsch's 

 title Odontoglossx, form a distinct " Order." The Ninth " Order " is now 

 erected for the Palaniedeai (Screamer), which precede the Anscres — a group 



^ These are not equivalent to Sundevall's groups of the same names. 



2 Mr. Sclater (p. 348) inadvertently states that no species of Sundevall's Certhio- 

 raorphse is found in the New World, having omitted to notice that in the Tentamen 

 (pp. 46, 47) the genera Mniotilta (peculiar to America) as well as Certhia and Sitta 

 are therein placed. 



2 Or 2 only, the position of the Caprivmlgidae being left undecided, but in 1883 

 (see next note) put here. 



