OF ORNITHOT.OOY 37 



The characteristics of these Orders can he readily defined, 

 should one care to distinguish them, by what has already been 

 said in the foregoing pages. These groups held until within 

 a comparatively few years. Tiie Fossii. IJiids have not been 

 included, so far, in any of our analyses. 



Our various institutions of learniijg, throughout the coun- 

 tay, before what we call the Neio Si/>iteni was very generally 

 adopted, arranged the Classes of Birds as follows : 



SUB CLASS I INSESSORES 

 Order 1 PASSARES Oscine and Clamatorial Birds 



2 STRISORES Hiirnminq Birds mid Kingfishers 



3 ZYGODACTYLI Parrots and Woodpeckers 



4 ACCIPITRES Birds of Prey 



•• ■ 5 PULLASTR-SI Pigeons and Doves 



SUB CLASS II CURSORES 



6 GALLIN.^ Grouse and Tiirkies 



7 BREVIPENNES Ostriches 



8 GRALLiE Plovers and Herons 



SUB ORDER III NATATORES 



9 LAMELLIROSTRES Sivans Geese Ducks 



10 STEGrANOPODES Pelicans Cormorants 



11 LONG-IPENNES Gidls Terns Petrels 



12 PYGOPODES Diving Cirds 



By careful comparison of this " Intermediate Series," as we 

 may call it, with both the old and the new (dassification, it 

 will be seen to be a decided step in advance of the old, while 

 foreshadowing the new. But few writers continue to use it at 

 the present time. 



We now come to what we will call the New System, in dis- 

 tinction from the others which we have thus far enumerated. 

 This system is well recognized as embodying the latest results 

 of the best workers in this department of science. 



