CEYLON WATER BIRDS. 287 
NOTES ON CEYLON WATER BIRDS. 
Part II. 
By W. E. Wart, M.A., M.B.0.U. 
(With a Plate.) 
HE present paper is the second instalment of the rough 
draft for the handbook on the birds of Ceylon. It 
comprises the remainder of the water birds, including the 
Pelicans, Cormorants, and allied species ; the Ibises, Storks, 
and Herons ; the Flamingoes ; the Geese, Ducks, and Grebes. 
Order STEGANOPODES. 
Pelicans, Cormorants, &c. 
Birds of the present order are readily distinguished by 
having all four toes webbed, the hallux or hind toe, which is 
long, being turned inwards and forwards and connected with 
the three front toes. In their structure the Steganopodes 
show a connection with the birds of prey, and differ widely 
from the Gulls and Waders. Their nestlings when hatched 
are helpless, and remain for some time in downy plumage, 
during which stage they are fed by their parents. 
Of the five families into which the order is divided, four 
contain but a single genus ; the fifth consists of two genera, 
each raised to the rank of a sub-family. These five families 
differ considerably in outward appearance, but all are fish 
feeders. The Pelicans and Cormorants are found equally on 
inland waters and round the coast; the Frigate Birds, Gannets, 
and Tropic Birds are marine, and mainly oceanic. 
2 6(7)17 
