466 AVES 



Fam. Opisthocomidae.* Fowl- like arboreal bird, without basipterygoid 

 process ; the anterior part of the keel of the sternum is aborted. Single 

 genus and species pistiiocomus cristatus Gm., the hoazin, stink-bird, 

 Guiana and Venezuela. 



Tribe 10. GRUIFORMES. 



Schizognathous, for the most part marsh birds, without basipterygoid 

 process, with vomer, without crop, with an elevated hallux and a tracheo- 

 bronchial syrinx. The nares are pervious in all except Rhinochetiis. The 

 young are covered with down. 



Fam. Rallidae. Rails, coots, water-hens. Cosmopolitan, with about 

 150 species. The family includes some flightless forms in which the keel 

 of the sternum is reduced. Most inhabit marshes or damp localities, but 

 some (e.g. Crex pratensis) live on dry lands. The young are praecoces. 

 Fossil from the Cretaceous onwards. Rallus aquaticus L., water-rail, 

 N. and C. Eur. to C. Asia. Ci'ex pratensis L., corncrake. Pennula ecau- 

 data King, Sandwich Islands, flightless, extinct. Gallinula chloroptis L., 

 moorhen ; G. nesiotis Scl., flightless, Tristan d'Acunlia. Fulica atra 

 L., coot, on the reedy lakes and ponds of Eiu-ope. Himantornis Tem., 

 VV. Africa ; Eulaheornis Gould, Australia, Malaya, Madagascar, 

 PoljTiesia. Notornis, Aptornis, flightless extinct birds from New Zealand ; 

 Aphanapteryx, Mauritius and Erythromachus, Rodriguez were probably 

 extirpated by man. Ocydromus Wagl., the weka. New Zealand. 



Fam. Grudiae. Cranes. Cosmopolitan except N. Zealand and Pacific 

 Islands. Long-necked, long-legged waders. They have a powerful flight. 

 The young are praecoces. Grus cinerea Beckst., the common crane of 

 Eur. and N. Asia. Balearica, Anthropoides, Aranius. 



Fam. Psophiidae. Trumpeters, trop. S. Amer. 



Fam. Cariamidae. Sometimes placed with the secretary bird. Cari~ 

 ama Briss. [Dicholophus 111.) ; C. cristata L., the sei'iema or crested 

 screamer (a name also applied to Chauna cristata), Brazil, Paraguay ; 

 easily domesticated, will guard their owner's fowls. 



Fam. Otididae. Bustards. Old World and Australia ; about 25 

 species. Otis tarda L., great bustard, temp. Eur., and Russia to Persia, 

 extinct as a native in England since 1838 ; O. tetrax L., little bustard, 

 S. E. Eur. 



Fam. Rhinochetidae. One genus and species, Rhinochetus juhatus Verr. 

 and Des ]\Iurs, kagu, New Caledonia, with nares imperviae, somewhat 

 larger than a fowl, and described as a generalised form. 



Fam. Eurypygidae. With long neck, slender bill and pervious nostrils. 

 One genus and two species : Eurypyga helias Pall., the sim-bittern, N.S.- 

 Amer., E. major Hartl., Central Amer. 



Fam. Heliornithidae Finfoots. With small head, thin neck, toes with 

 broad flaps and pointed claws, quintocubital, young are altrices, trop. 

 S. Amer., Africa, Assam to Sumatra. Heliornis, Podica. 



Tribe 11. CHARADRIIFORMES. 



Terrestrial, arboreal, or marine birds with a schizognathous skull, 



* Of doubtful position. This family was placed by Huxley in a special 

 group, Heteromorphae, and regarded by him as belonging to a more ancient 

 type than the Galliformes {Proc. Zool. Soc, 1808, p. 304 ; also Garrod, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1879, p. 109). 



