CH( IRDATA 





the plovers, the snipes, the sandpipers, the curlews, and the 

 woodGOck Some zoologists also place the bustards here. 



Suborder 7. Pterocletes 



The Pterocletes (Gr. irrtpov, wing, and /cXe<9, key) comprise 

 only two genera and are popularly called sand grouse. They 

 occur in Asia and in Africa, the greater number in the latter 

 continent. They are good flyers. 



FlG. 346. Aha impennis, the great auk, now extinct, and the smaller Aha ( I 'tarnan 



azor-billed auk. (From a photograph provided by the American Museum of Natural 

 History.) 



Suborder 8. Columbae 



The Columbae (Lat. columba, pigeon) consist of the pigeons 

 (Fig. 347) and cloves. They are found all over the world and 

 are most numerous in the eastern hemisphere, particularly in the 

 islands of the Pacific and in Australia. Thev have a number of 

 natural enemies, such as serpents and monkeys, which desti 

 their eggs, and it is notable that they are absent from countries 

 where such animals abound. Every one is familiar with pigeons. 

 and their shape and general appearance are so characteristic 

 that no description here is necessary. They feed upon fruit and 



