POSITION OF THE JACANAS. 221 



adopted by Messrs. Sclater and Salvin in their Nomenclator,' where the 

 Parridje are interpolated between the (Edicnemidae and the Charadriidse 

 as members of the order " LimicolaB " *. The late Prof. Garrod, in his P. 1 

 paper on the nasal bones of birds t, says that " Parra should be removed 

 to the Charadriomorphse " from the Eallidse, on account of the schizo- 

 rhinal nature of its skull, as represented in the figure of that of Parra 

 (Hydralector) cristata on p. 34 of his paper. In his subsequent paper on 

 the muscles of the thigh in birds J, Parra (i. e. Metopidius) africana is 

 placed amongst the " Grallae," with the other Charadriine or Scolopacine 

 forms, and not included in the Eallidae. It will be my object in the 

 present paper to still further strengthen this latter view of the affinities 

 of the Parridse . 



Pterylosis. 



Nitzsch, in his * Pterylography/ places Rallm, Or ex, Porphyrio, and 

 Parra as members of a group of the Fulicariae, characterized by the 

 narrow form of the tracts, by the presence of a distinct outer branch to 

 the inferior tract, and by the dorsal tract being " neither interrupted nor 

 strikingly weakened" between the shoulder-blades. He says (I. c. 

 p. 126) : " The first three [genera] have twelve tail-feathers, and exactly 

 the same pterylosis as that figured as occurring in Rattus aquaticus. In 

 Parra, of which I have examined all the four principal species (sinensis 

 [i. e. Hydropliasianus chirurgus], cenea, africana, and jassana), I found 

 only ten tail-feathers, and a remarkable narrowing of the bands of the 

 dorsal tract close behind the shoulder-blades ; whilst, on the other hand, 



* Op. cit. p. 142 (London, 1873). The term " Limicola " was, I believe, originally 

 used by Nitzsch (Pterylogr. p. 194) to include the birds now included in the " families " 

 Charadriidse and Scolopacidae, together with some aberrant forms, such as Dromas, 

 Cursorius, Thinocorus, &c. By Messrs. Sclater and Salvin its use is still further ex- 

 tended to include the (Edicnemidse, Parridae, and Chionididae in addition. Lastly, 

 Prof. Garrod used it (P. Z. S. 1874, p. 122, &c.) as a term for all the non-columbine 

 " Charadriiformes," including in it, besides Nitzsch's groups, the Cranes, Auks, Gulls, 

 and, presumably, the Turnicidse, Rhinochetidae, Plataleidas, and Parridse as well. In 

 fact, Garrod's restricted " family " Charadriidae corresponds pretty nearly to the whole 

 of Nitzsch's " LimicolaB sen Scolopacinse." To obviate further confusion, the term 

 "Limicolae " should be restricted to the group mentioned by Nitzsch ; and I propose 

 to substitute, as a name for the non-columbine Charadriiformes (the " Limicolaa " of 

 Garrod) the word " Pluviales," to correspond with the other division, " Columbse " 

 (including the Colurnbidse and Pteroclidse), of that great group. 



t "On the Value in Classification of a Peculiarity in the Anterior Margin of the 

 Nasal Bones of certain Birds," P. Z. S. 1873, pp. 33-78. 



| P. Z. S. 1873, pp. 626-644. 



Besides Metopidius africanus, Prof. Garrod dissected a specimen of Hydrophasianus 

 chirurgus ; and some MS. notes of his on that species I have incorporated in what 

 follows.- 



