24 CLASSLFICATION OF BIRDS, 
Subclass ANSERIFORMES. 
The Anseriformes may be diagnosed by three characters, to which others may be added :— 
A. Palate desmognathous. B. Spinal feather-tract not defined on the neck (either 
coalesced with the ventral feather-tracts, or its place occupied by a spinal bare tract). 
C. Flexor perforans digitorum never leading to hallux. D. Young always passing 
through a downy stage. 


| 19. Herodiones. 
11. Accipitres, 
4. Scansores. 
| 20. Platales. 
26. Gavin. 
10. Serpentarii. 
29. Pulicarie. 
30. Pygopodes. 
Galline. 
32. Crypturi. 
3. Palamedes Be 
Tubinares. 
36. Struthiones. 
8. Musophagi. 
24. 
9. Cuculi. 
33. Apteryges. 
55. Casuarii. 
7. Columb. 
1. Passeres. 
6. Trogones. 
28. Gralle. 
D} 
he 
16. Bucerotes. 
17. Cathartes. 
18. Steganopodes. 
21. Pheenicopteri. 
| 25. Impennes. 

12. Striges. 
| 13. Psittaci. 
y 
€ 
ae 



«* | 27, Limicole. 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 

** | 3). 
* * 


* 
x * | 
















vawp| 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 


















The presence of well-marked supraorbital fossz for the nasal glands is a yery important 
character in determining the position of some birds. These fosse are specially characteristic 
of swimming and diving birds, and reach their greatest development in the Impennes, the 
Tubinares, the Alcidie, the Pygopodes, &c. The Cidicnemidie are holorhinal like the Fuli- 
cari, but have opisthoccelous dorsal vertebre like the Gayie. Into which group must they 
be placed? Ought they to be holorhinal birds side by side with the schizorhinal Cursoriide, 
or are they better placed as opisthoccelous birds next to the heteroccelous Otidide? The 
fact that the Cursoriide (like the rest of the Gavie) have well-marked supraorbital fossa, and 
that the Otidide (like the rest of the Fulicarie) are without this character, is a strong argu- 
ment for placing the Cidicnemide in the Gavi, especially since they have long ceased to be 
swimmers or divers. 
