264 AVES: PSITTACI. XLIL 



reversion of outer toe; tarsus reticulate. Tongue short, fleshy; 

 upper jaw unusually movable. Altricial. Plumage often brilliant. 

 In all warm regions. Genera 26 ; species 354, nearly half of which 

 are American. All of the latter, and many of the Old World 

 forms, belong to the principal family, Psittacidce. 



Families of Fsittaci, 

 a. Carotids two, the left superficial PSITTACID.E, 156. 



FAMILY CLVI. PSITTACIDCE. (THE PARROTS.) 



Parrots with two carotid arteries, the left superficial. This great 

 group includes the great majority of the parrots, all of the Ameri- 

 can species. 



a. Ambiens muscle present: a tufted oil-gland ; furculum complete. (Arince.) 



b. Face entirely feathered except a curve about the eye ; tail graduated, the 



feathers narrowed CONUUUS, 438. 



438. CONURUS Kuhl. (KUVOS, cone ; ovpo, tail.) 



838. C. carolinensis (L.). CAROLINA PAROQUET. Green; 

 head and neck yellow ; face orange red ; wings with blue and yel- 

 low; bill white; cere feathered. L. 13. W. 1\. T. 6. South- 

 western, formerly N. to the Great Lakes ; now nearly exterminated, 

 except in Fla. 



PICARI.E. 



NOTE. Between the Parrots and the Singing Birds comes the series 

 or so-called order of Picarice, a highly diversified group including all the 

 non-passerine land birds, except the pheasants, doves and birds with cered 

 and hooked bill. In all, the hind toe is small (if present), and sometimes 

 elevated ; its claw is usually shorter than that of middle toe. The wing 

 coverts are larger and in more numerous series than in the Passeres. The 

 primaries are 10 in number, the first rarely short ; tail usually of 10 

 feathers. Sternum non-passerine ; musical apparatus imperfect ; tarsus 

 never presenting an undivided ridge behind. Nature altricial. 



Recent writers usually subdivide the Picarice into three groups, which 

 are recognized as distinct orders by the American Ornithologists' Union, 

 under the names of Coccyges, Pici and Macrochires. The last two are 

 natural groups and well defined by anatomical characters. The Coccyges, 

 however, are scarcely less varied than the Picarice, of which they form 

 the greater part. Dr. Coues says : " I have no faith whatever in the 

 integrity of any such grouping as Picarice implies, but if I should break 

 up this conventional assemblage, I should not know what to do with the 

 fragments." The so-called order Acanthopteri among fishes is a case 

 somewhat parallel. 



