76 CARDINAL— CAROTIDS 



CARDINAL, the name given in different parts of the world to 

 various birds from their scarlet plumage, but perhaps originally 

 to the North-American Loxia canlinalis of Linnaeus, the Cardinalis 

 virgiiiianus of modern authors, a beautiful and favourite cage-bird, 

 M^hich, according to Parker, is one of the Emherizidx (Bunting). 

 It is also known as the "Virginian Nightingale" and "Red Bird." 

 In the United States it does not usually occur to the northward of 

 lat. 40°; but it is common in and one of the most characteristic 

 birds of Bermuda. Other birds on which the name " Cardinal " 

 has been bestowed belong to the Finches, Tanagers, and Weaver- 

 birds. 



CARIAMA, see Seriema. 



CARINATu:E, that di\'ision of the Class AvES possessing a 

 " keel " (carina) to the sternum, and accordingly so named by 

 Merrem in 1812 (Abhandl. Akad. JFissensch. Berlin, 1812-13, 

 Physik. Kl. p. 238) ; but generally overlooked by systematists until 

 prominently brought forward by Prof. Huxley {Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 1867, p. 418) as one of the three " Orders " recognized by him, 

 and in the present work regarded as forming a Subclass (see 

 Introduction). It may here be observed, however, that among 

 the Carinatx are to be included a few forms such as Cnemiornis 

 (Cereopsis), Didus (Dodo), and Strigops (Kakapo), in Avhich the 

 keel of the sternum is nearly or wholly wanting, presumably 

 through disuse of their volant powers. 



CAROTIDS (from K-apwrts) are the principal arteries which, 

 arising from the brachiocephalic arteries, ascend the neck and supply 

 the head. They exhibit several modifications which have been 

 investigated chiefly by Nitzsch and by Garrod ; but their taxo- 

 nomic value is limited. They shew the folloAving seven arrange- 

 ments : — 



1. The right and the left carotids converge towards the middle 

 line and run side by side (or the left covering the right) in a furrow 

 along the ventral surface of the cervical vertebras. This is 

 their normal and original condition, and is found in the majority of 

 Birds. 



2. The two carotids fuse into one, for the greater length of the 

 neck; this "carotis conjuncta" is generally imbedded in a special 

 median osseous canal formed by the vertebrae ; the right and left 

 root or basal portions are both functional, although one of them 

 is sometimes weaker, as in Herodii, Phoenicopterus, and some Old- 

 World Parrots. 



3. There is one carotis conjuncta, but the right root, i.e. the 

 basal portion of the original right carotis, has been obliterated. The 

 artery is a so-called " carotis jDrimaria sinistra." Such " Aves Ixvo- 

 carotidinse " (Garrod) are very frequent, e.g. Rhea and Apteryx among 



