CHAPTER II 



THE PRINCIPAL BIRD GROUPS 



The two Primary Divisions The Carinatae and Ratitae 

 Moas and Rocs Rheas, Cassowaries, and Emus Kiwis 

 and Ostriches The Crypturi or Tinamous The Im- 

 pennes or Penguins The Colymbiformes or Divers and 

 Grebes The Procellariiformes or Petrels The Pelargi- 

 formes or Herons, Storks, Spoonbills, and Ibises The 

 Pelecaniformes or Tropic Birds, Gannets, Cormorants, 

 Pelicans, Darters, and Frigate Birds The Anseriformes 

 or Swans, Geese, Ducks, and Mergansers The Grui- 

 formes or Cranes and allied birds The Ralliformes or 

 Rails and Finfoots The Galliformes or Game Birds 

 The Pediophili or Sand-Grouse The Columbiformes or 

 Pigeons The Charadriiformes or Bustards, Plovers, 

 Sandpipers, Jacanas, Sheath-bills, Crab Plover, and Seed 

 Snipes The Lariformes or Gulls, Terns, Skuas, and 

 Skimmers TheAlciformesorAuks TheFalconiformes 

 or Birds of Prey The Coraciiformes The Psittaciformes 

 or Parrots The Cuculiformes or Cuckoos and Plantain- 

 Eaters The Passeriformes or " Perching Birds." 



WITHOUT leading the student into the hopeless 

 labyrinth of avine classification, it will, I hope, 

 be quite possible to give a brief outline of the 

 various great natural groups into which the 

 kingdom of the Birds is divided by systematists. 



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