<;/ AY' A'. / /. < I I.I K.I ( I A A7.ST/C5 1475 



world is now mapped out were originally defined liomlhe vaiious iMoiips of I'.iids 

 by which they are inhabited. For instance, while tin- I'ala-aictii region, iliai i to 



:' h ili-i pint nl" I'.niope and Asia noilh ol ill' lin- of lh< Illinalavas is 

 charactcri/.cd by the sole possession of the cape rcail lie, and its a Inn id a in < \ n.ir , 

 buntin;;-., etc., North A nieiica, is the sole home of the turkey, while hnm 

 are mainly characteristic: ol' South and (Vntial AIIH-I i- a, a-, an- In id' 



birds, and cockatoos of tin- Australasian H-JMOII. Many birds, es 

 of (In- hummiii}'. birds, have indeed a very local distribution; 

 I-' - n expected, the various groups of flightless birds are no 

 to particular continents and islands. It would be impossible 



further in the space available, but the reader will be enable 



the leadm;-, facts of avian distribution in the course of our des 

 groups. 



As regards their geological distribution, it may be mentioned that most of the 

 birds from the Tertiary formations are more or less closely allied to existing types. 

 When, however, we reach the antecedent Cretaceous C chalk) epoch, we find that at 

 least several of the birds were furnished with teeth; while in tin- still oldei Juiassie 

 or Oolitic epoch the one definitely known bird {Archaopteryx} was not only fur- 

 nished with teeth, but had a long tapering tail, and exhibited sevei.-d other jeatni<-, 

 indicative of reptilian affinity. While liirds present no sort of relationship to Mam 



mals, they show manifest indications of being nearly allied to certain extinct groups 

 of Reptiles; but the nature of that relationship can be best indicated in our consid- 

 eration of those groups. 



On no subject is there greater diversity of views among zoologists 

 Classification .. 



than with regard to the classification of Birds; scarcely any two 



ornithologists being in accord on this point. To a great extent this is owing to 

 that structural uniformity among the members of the class to which reference has 

 been already made, which renders it almost impossible to determine what features 

 should be regarded as of primary importance. With such conflicting views it is 

 in- .Stable that schemes of classification are to be counted almost by the dozen, and 

 scarcely a year passes without one or more new ones being proposed. As it is un- 

 likely that anyone of these latter classifications will be permanently accepted, it 

 been thought advisable, in a popular work of the present nature, to revert to 

 a modification of a scheme proposed some years ago by Dr. Sclater. Including 

 certain extinct groups, the class, according to this scheme, may be divided into the 

 following twenty-five groups, of which the first twenty-two may be reckoned orders 

 Mich orders, be it understood, being for the most part far less distinct from one 

 another than are those of Mammals. 



ORDERS OF BIRDS 



1 . PASSBRBS Perching Birds. 



2. PICARLB Woodpeckers, Cuckoos, Hornbills, etc. 



3. I'SJTT AC i Parrots. 



4. STKIGBS Owls. 



