Orders of Birds 



149 



Sub-Order CHARADRII. (Plovers and Snipes.) Nest, usually 

 none, or a slightly-lined depression in the grass. Eggs 

 four, pear-shaped, laid point to point, double-spotted, clay- 

 coloured, more or Jess marked with black spots or lines. 

 Cosmopolitan. 



Sub-Order (EDICNEMI. (Stone-Plovers or Thick-knees.) 

 Nest none. Eggs two, stone-colour, spotted or lined with 

 black. Entire Old World. South America. 



Sub-Order OXIDES. (Bustards.) Nest none, or a scantily-lined 

 depression in the ground. Eggs two to four, double- 

 spotted, olive with a little shading of brown or grey spots. 

 Africa, Southern and Central Europe, to Central Asia, India. 

 Order GRUIFORMES. 



Sub-Order GRUES. (Cranes.) Nest on the ground in a 

 marsh. Eggs two or three, double-spotted, brown with 

 obscure reddish or grey spots. Cosmopolitan. (Absent 

 in South America.) 



Sub-Order ARAMI. (Limpkins.) Nest of rushes in a marsh. 

 Eggs numerous, double-spotted, white with pale brown 

 and purple spots. Southern United States to South 

 America. 



Sub-Order RHINOCHETIDES. (Kagus.) Nest unknown. 

 Eggs reddish-buff, marked with brown and grey. New 

 Caledonia. 



Sub-Order MESITIDES. (Madagascar Kagus.) Nest and 

 eggs unknown. Madagascar. 



Sub-Order EURYPYG^E. (Sun-Bitterns.) Nest of sticks in 

 trees. Eggs two, greyish with rufous spots. South 

 America. 



Sub-Order PSOPHI^E. (Trumpeters.) Nest on the ground. 

 Eggs white. South America. 



Sub-Order DICHOLOPHI. (Seriamas.) Nest in a low bush. 



Eggs two, white with rufous spots. South America. 

 Order ARDEIFORMES. (Herons, Storks, and Ibises.) 



Sub-Order ARDE/E. (Herons.) Nest of sticks in a tree or 

 reed-bed. Eggs three to nine in number, blue or white. 

 Cosmopolitan. 



