34 Mr. F. E. Beddard on the 



Order Alectorides^ of which Order it is furthermore con- 

 sidered to represent a distinct family. Prof. FUrbringer 

 himself, though he discusses the general characteristics of 

 Araraus under the heading " Aramidse," comes to the final 

 conehision that it is to be placed as a mere subfamily of the 

 family Gruidie, of which all the Old World genera — Grus, 

 Balearica, &c. — should constitute a second subfamily, Gruinae. 

 Even with this reduction the importance attached to Aramus 

 as a distinct type of bird appears to me to be due to a slight 

 exaggeration of its peculiarities. A study of the osteology lias 

 convinced me that it does not help to explain the structure 

 of the genus to regard it as extremely distinct from other 

 Cranes_, using this word to include the Gruidse only. If 

 Aramus is to be separated, and given family — or subfamily — 

 rank, then it will be necessary to isolate at least Balearica 

 in the same way, and jjossibly also Tetrapteryx. No advantage 

 appears to be gained by the splitting up of so clearly definable 

 a family as that of the Gruid<e, of which Aramus is an out- 

 lying member, and, even as such, not far removed from the 

 remaining genera. 



My conclusions, in fact, completely bear out the view of 

 the late Mr. Seebohm"^, who placed Aramus as a genus 

 of the family Gruidai in his suborder Grallae. As to the 

 particular position which the genus holds within the family, I 

 shall have in the course of the following pages to point to 

 anumber of somewhat striking likenesses between it and the 

 African genus Balearica, which in external appearance is as 

 luilike Aramus as any other genus of the family, or indeed 

 even more unlike. Without, however, insisting too strongly 

 upon these points of resemblance as indicating a special 

 atfniity, I may remark that alliances between South-African 

 and South-American animals have been shown to exist in 

 a number of groups. 



The anatomy of Aramus has been dealt with and described 

 by a number of naturalists. Tlie muscles and viscera, with 

 some parts of the skeleton, have been described by the late 

 Mr. Garrod t, who quotes earlier authorities in his memoir. 



* ' Classification of Birds' (London, 1890;, p. 39. 



I " Ou the Anatomy of Aramus sculopaceus,'' P. Z. y. 187G, p. 275. 



