2G4 AVES: PSITTACI. — XI.II. 



ri'vcrsion of outer too; tarsus reticulate. Tonfjue short, fleshy; 

 U|)|ii'r jaw unusually movable. Allricial. IMunia^e often brilliant. 

 In all warm rej;ions. (ienera 20; species 354, nearly half of wliicli 

 are American. All of the latter, and many of the Old \\ urlil 

 forms, belong; to the principal family, J'sittaciilte. 



Families of Fsittaci. 

 a. Carotids two, the left supurrK'ial Psittaciu.*:, 156. 



Family CLVI. PSITTACID^. (The Parrots.) 



Parrots with two carotid arteries, the left superficial. This great 

 group includes the great majority of the parrots, — all of the Ameri- 

 can species. 



a. Ambiens muscle present: a tufted oil-gland ; furculum complete. (Ai-ina.) 



b. Face eutirtly feathered except a cur\-e al)Out tlie eye ; tail graduated, the 



feathers narrowed CoMJKUS, 438. 



438. CONURUS Kulil. (»ci»/of, cone ; ovpa, tail.) 



838. C. carolineiisis (L.). Carolina Paroquet. Green; 

 heail and neck yellow ; face orange red ; wings with blue and yel- 

 low ; bill white; cere feathered. L. 13. W. 7^. T. 6. South- 

 western, formerly N. to the Great Lakes ; now nearly exterminated, 

 except in Fla. 



PICAKI.a:. 



Note. — Between the Parrots and the Singing Birds comes the series 

 or so-called onler of Piairiw, a highly diversified grouj) including all the 

 non-passerine land birds, except tiie pheasants, doves and birds witli cored 

 and hooked bill. In all, the hind toe is small (if j>resent), and sometimes 

 elevated ; its claw is usually shorter than that of middle toe. The wing 

 coverts are larger and in more numerous series than in the Passercs. The 

 jjriniaries are 10 in numlx-r, the first rarely short ; tail usually of 10 

 feathers. Sternum non-passcriiw ; musical apparatus imperfect ; tarsus 

 never presenting an un<liviiled ridge behind. Nature altrieial. 



Recent writers usually subdivide the Picnrirc into three groujis, which 

 are recognized as distinct orders by the American Ornithologists' I'nion, 

 under the names of Cocci/'jrs, Pici and Mncntchircs. The last two are 

 natund groups and well defined by anatomical characters. The Cocci/ges, 

 however, are scarcely less varied than the Picaria; of which they form 

 the greater part. Dr. Coues says : " I have no faith whatever in the 

 integrity of nny such grouping as Picaria- implies, but if I should bn>ak 

 up this conventional a-sseinblnge, I should imt know what to do with the 

 fnigments." The so-called order AcaiUhopUri among Ushes is a case 

 somewhat {HiralluL 



