DIVISIONS OF BIRDS. 269 



water, feeding upon small fishes, shell-fish, worms, and insects. 

 Others, such as the Storks, live mostly upon the land, and are 

 more or less exclusively vegetable-feeders. 



Among the more important Grallatorial birds are the Rails 

 (Rattidce), Water-hens (Gallinulce), Cranes (Gruidce), Herons 

 (Ardeidce], Storks (Ciconince), Snipes (Scolopacidce), Sand- 

 pipers (Tringidce), Curlews (Numenius), Plovers (Charadrii- 

 dve), and Bustards (Otidce). 



The Rails are more or less terrestrial in their habits, but 

 inhabit marshes and fens. Good examples are the Marsh 

 Hen (JRallus elegans) and the Virginia Rail (R. Virginianus) 

 of North America, and the Corn Crake ( Crex pratensis) of 

 Europe. The Water-hens ( Gallinula) and Coots (Fulica) are 

 aquatic or semi-aquatic, swimming and diving with the great- 

 est ease. The Cranes are in the main vegetable-feeders, and 

 inhabit dry plains. The Herons, Egrets, Bitterns, and Night 

 Herons, form a beautiful family of wading birds, represented 

 in almost every portion of the known world. Nearly allied to 

 these are the brilliantly-colored Ibises (Tantalince), which 

 inhabit all warm countries. The Ciconince are all large birds, 

 and comprise the Storks and Adjutant, while the Spoon- 

 bills are mainly separated from them by their flattened, spoon- 

 shaped bill. The Scolopacidce, comprising the Snipes and 

 Woodcocks, the Tringidce (or Sandpipers), the Curlews (Nu- 

 menius), and various other allied birds, are distinguished from 

 the preceding by the possession of a long, soft, slender bill, 

 which is used in probing the ground for food. In the Chara- 

 driidce are comprised the Oyster-catchers, Turnstones, Lap- 

 wings, Plovers, Thick-knee, and many other familiar birds. 

 Lastly, the Otidce comprise only the Bustards, which are ex- 

 clusively confined to the Old World, and make a decided ap- 

 proach to the Cursorial Birds. 



OKDEK III. CUBSOBES (Lat. curro, I run). The Running 

 or Cursorial Birds, comprising the Ostrich, Cassowary, Emeu, 

 Rhea, and Apteryx, are characterized by the rudimentary con- 

 dition of the wings, which are useless as organs of flight, and 

 by the compensating length and strength of the legs. In ac- 

 cordance with this condition of the limbs, the bones have few 

 air-cells, and the breast-bone is destitute of the prominent 

 ridge or keel to which the great muscles of the wings are at- 

 tached. The two sides of the pelvis are united together below 

 in the Ostrich, and in all the pelvic arch has great strength 

 and stability. The legs are extremely powerful, and the hinder 



