XXVI INTRODUCTION. 



powder-down tracts. Tail short and slightly rounded. Legs long; feet with 

 four rather short toes, the three in front united by a membrane as far as the 

 first joint ; claws short, broad, obtuse, the middle claw not pectinated 



(p. 375)- 



'Family IBIDID.-E. 



Plegadis, Kaiip. — Bill long, slender, decurved, large at the base, the point de- 

 pressed, obtuse, rounded ; upper mandible deeply grooved throughout its 

 length. Nostrils on the upper surface and near the base of the beak, oblong, 

 narrow, pierced in a membrane which covers part of the aperture. Face 

 and lores naked, without feathers. Tail of twelve feathers, moderate, even. 

 Wings moderate ; the first quill shorter than the second and third, which are 

 the longest. Legs rather long, naked above the tarsal joint ; three toes in 

 front, one behind ; the anterior toes united by a membrane, hind toe long 

 and resting its length on the ground. Plumage more or less Stork-like, 

 wanting the powder-down tracts of the Herons (p. 379). 



Family PLATALEID^E. 



Platalea, Linnaus. — Bill long, and much flattened, dilated at the point 

 and rounded in the form of a spoon ; upper mandible channelled and 

 transversely grooved at the base. Nostrils on the upper surface of the beak, 

 near together, oblong, open, bordered by a membrane. Forehead, lores, 

 orbits and chin naked. Wings rather large ; the third quill nearly as long 

 as the second, which is the longest. Legs long and robust ; three toes in 

 front, united as far as the second articulation by a membrane, the marginal 

 edge of which is deeply concave ; hind toe long (p. 381). 



Order ODONTOGLOSS-E. 



Family PHCENICOPTERIDyE. 



Phcenicopterus, Brisson. — Bill longer than the head, abruptly bent in the 

 middle ; edges of both mandibles furnished with fine transverse plates 

 (lamellae). Nostrils, linear, sub-basal. Neck very long and slender. Wings 

 moderately long, the first quill slightly the longest ; the inner secondaries 

 longer than, and folding over, the closed primaries. Tail short, even. Legs 

 very long and slender ; the chief portion of the tibia bare ; tarsus broadly 

 scutellate; toes short, the three anterior ones palmated, with incised webs, 

 hind toe elevated, free and small ; claws flattened and obtuse (p. 383). 



Order ANSERES. 



Family AN ATI D^. 



Anser, Brisson. — Bill nearly as long as the head, sub-conical, elevated at the 

 base, which is covered with a cere or skin; a conspicuous nail (unguis) at the 

 tip ; under mandible smaller than the upper. Nostrils lateral, placed towards 

 the middle of the beak, pierced anteriorly. W^ings large, the second quill 

 longest. Tail of sixteen feathers. Legs under the centre of the body ; the 

 tarsi moderately long ; the hind toe free, articulated upon the tarsus ; the 

 three anterior toes united by a membrane (p. 3S5). 



