RAIN-BIRD—RASORES 765. 



whole the Rallidm constitute a group of birds which, particu- 

 larly as regards their relations to some other remarkable forms, 

 of which the Sun -Bittern, Eurypyga, and Kagu, Bhinochetus, 

 may especially be named, well deserve greater attention from the 

 systematist, and any ornithologist in want of a subject could 

 hardly find one more likely to reward his labours if he were only 

 to carry them out in a judicious way. Based on the safe ground 

 of anatomy, but due regard being also had to the external 

 characters, habits and other peculiarities of this multifarious 

 group, a monograph might be produced of surpassing interest, and 

 one that in its bearings on the doctrine of evolution would be 

 likely to prove a telling record.^ 



RAIN-BIRD, RAIN-GOOSE and RAIN-QUAIL, the first 

 applied in England locally to the Green Woodpecker, but in 

 Jamaica to CucKOWS of the genera Piaya and Saurothera; the 

 second in Orkney to the Divers, and preferably to Colymbus septeii- 

 trionalis ; the third in India to Coturnix coromandelica, because of its 

 abundance in some parts of the country during the rainy season ; 

 but the others seem to be used because the birds in question are 

 supposed to predict rain by their frequent cries. 



RAPACES, RAPTATORES, RAPTORES, names proposed 

 for the Order containing the Birds-of-Prey (both diurnal and 

 nocturnal), and therefore nearly equivalent to the AcciPlTRES of 

 Linnaeus. The first was conferred in 1777 by Scopoli (Introd. 

 Hist. Nat. p. 478), and included the genera Strix, Falco, Vultur, 

 Buceros and Bhamphastos. Temminck adopted it, properly exclud- 

 ing the last two, and gave it currency. The second name was 

 invented in 1811 by Illiger (Prodr. System, p. 194), who so termed 

 his Third Order, consisting of the genera Strix, Falco, Gypogeranus, 

 Gypaefus, Vultur and Cathartes ; and the third, being only a gram- 

 matical alteration of the second, by Vigors in 1823 (Trans. Linn. 

 Soc. xiv. p. 405, note). No one of the three is used by the latest 

 taxonomers of repute. 



RASORES, Illiger's name in 1811 (Prodr. System, p. 195) for 

 his Fourth Order, made to contain 5 Families : — (1) Gallinacei, with 

 the genera Numida, Meleagris, Penelope, Crax, Opisthocomus, Pavo, 

 Phasianus, Galkis, Menura, Tetrao and Perdix; (2) Epollicati, com- 

 posed of Ortygis ( = Turnix) and Syrrhaptes ; (3) Columbini, consisting 



LiMPKiN, Aramus, also, thougli its position is not so decided can hardly be 

 kept among the Rails. Mr. W. H. Hudson's notes on the habits of these 

 birds, which he {Proc. Zool. Soc. 1876, pp. 102-109) considers to be Rails, as 

 well as others that undoubtedly are so, deserve the best attention. 



1 The most recent revision of the Rallidee is that by Dr. Sharpe {Cat. B. 

 Br. Mus. sxiii. pp. 1-228), who has found it necessary to recognize 61 genera. 



