THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS 



25. TUIJNICES. 



The Turnices consist of one small family confined to the 

 tropical and -semitropical parts of the Old World. It has been 

 customary to include the Australian genus Pedionomus amongst 

 the Turnicidce, but in my classification it falls naturally into the 

 Charadriidce. 



26. EUKYPYG.E. 



This suborder has been provided for the reception of four very 

 widely separated species. Two Sun-Bitterns (J&wrypygidce) inhabit 

 .tropical America ; the Kagu (Rliinochetidce) is confined to New 

 Caledonia ; whilst the fourth species (Mcsitidai) is only known 

 from Madagascar. 



The Ehinochetidce differ from the other two families in having 

 impervious nostrils, and no notches on the posterior margin of 

 the sternum. 



The Mesitidce differ from the other two families in having one 

 notch only on each side of the posterior margin of the sternum, 

 in having no furculum, and in having the posterior episternal 

 process large and forked. 



The Eurypygidce differ from the other two families in having 

 two notches on each side of the posterior margin of the sternum, 

 and in having the plumage of the neck continuous. 



27. CEYPTUEI. 



The Neotropical Tinamous are perfectly unique in the form of 

 the sternum, which has a narrow median process to support the 

 keel, and on each side a still narrower process, the three pro- 

 cesses occupying four-fifths of its entire length. The keel of 

 the sternum is well developed, and in the arrangement of the 

 feather-tracts and bare spaces the Tinamous are almost Passerine, 

 nevertheless they possess some remarkable Struthionine char- 

 acters. They differ from all other birds in retaining when adult 

 some down on the feather-tracts but not on the bare spaces. The 

 pelvis and the palate possess characters which are only to be 

 found elsewhere in the Dromgeomorphas. The cartilage which 

 connects the ilium with the ischium is not ossified, and the vomer 

 coalesces with the maxillo-palatines in front and with the 



