CLASSIFICATION OF VERTEBRATA 36 



Dididae. Without basipterygoid processes. Flightless. 

 Didus ineptus. Mauritius. 

 Pezophaps solitarius. Rodriguez. 



1 2. Order Cuculiformes. Desmognathous ; zygodacty- 

 lous, or with the outer toe reversible ; deep flexors of the toes 

 normal (Type I). Nidicolous. 



1 . Sub-order CUCULI Zygodactylous, or with outer toe 

 reversible. Quintocubital. Cosmopolitan. 



Cucididae. Cuculus, Coccystes ; Phoenicophaes ; Centro- 



pus, Crotophaga, etc. 

 Musophagidae. Ethiopian. Musophaga, Corythaix, etc. 



2. Sub -order PSITTACI. Zygodactylous. Aquinto- 

 cubital. Cosmopolitan, chiefly tropical. 



Trichoglossidae. Nestor. New Zealand. 

 Lorius, Trichoglossus, etc. 



Psittacidae. Stringops, Cacatua. Lophopsittacus, Mauri- 

 tius, recently exterminated. Psittacus, Chrysotis, Platycercus, 

 Conurus. 



1 3. Order Coraciiformes. Nidicolous ; nares imperviae ; 

 holorhinal. Downs restricted to the apteria, or absent. Thir- 

 teen to fifteen cervical vertebrae. Deep plantar tendons con- 

 nected with each other. Mostly desmognathous. Cosmopolitan. 



1. Sub-order CORACIAE. Either (1) syndactyle, and 

 with long spina externa sterni ; without spina interna. 



Or (2) eleutherodactyle, and with spina communis. 

 Or (3) outer toe reversible, and with spina externa only. 

 Coraciidae. Old world. Leptosoma, Coracias, etc. 

 Momotidae. Neotropical. Momotus, Todus. 

 Alcedinidae. Cosmopolitan. 



Alcedo, Ceryle, Dacelo, Ceyx, etc. 

 Meropidae. Old world. Merops, Nyctiornis. 

 Upupidae. Palaearctic and palaeotropical. 



Buceros, Irrisor, Upupa. 



2. Sub-order STRIGES. Outer toe reversible. Long 

 functional caeca. Schizognathous. Cosmopolitan. 



Strigidae. Strix, Bubo, Asios, Otus, etc. 



3. Sub-order CAPRIMULGI. Nocturnal. With gaping 

 mouth. Ten remiges and rectrices. Spinae sterni vestigial. 

 Caeca functional. 



