6l2 MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



this section are two very distinct sub-families, the Charadriidce 

 or Plovers, and the Otidce or Bustards. In the former of these 

 the legs are long and slender, the toes are united at their bases 

 by a small membrane, and the hind-toe is very small and raised 

 above the ground, or is entirely wanting. In this group are 

 the true Plovers and Lapwings ( Charadrius and Vanellus), the 

 Pratincoles (Glareola], the Long-shanks (Himantopus\ the 

 Oyster-catcher (Hamatopus\ and the Thick-knee ( (Edicnemus). 

 In the Otidce or Bustards, the legs are long, and the toes are 

 short and furnished with stout claws. The hinder toe or hallux 

 is entirely wanting and these birds are chiefly interesting from 

 the affinities which they exhibit to the Rasores on the one 

 hand, and to the Cursores (Ostrich, &c.) on the other. The 

 wings, however, are of ample size, and the tail is comparatively 

 long, the reverse being the case in the Cursores. The Bus- 

 tards are entirely confined to the Old World, and two species 

 were formerly not uncommon in Britain. They are found in 

 plains and downs, and rarely fly, but run with great swiftness, 

 using the wings to accelerate their course. They are polygam- 

 ous, and the males are generally brighter and more variegated 

 in plumage than the females. 



As regards their distribution in time, the earliest known 

 remains of Grallatores have been found in the Cretaceous 

 rocks of North America (Telmatornis and Palceotringa). The 

 Eocene Ter,tiary of both Europe and North America has 

 yielded the remains of Waders, one of the most remarkable 

 being a gigantic Rail (Gypsornis] from the Paris basin. The 

 later Tertiaries also contain the remains of various Grallatorial 

 birds allied to, or identical with, living types. In the Post- 

 tertiary deposits of Mauritius are found the bones of the 

 Aphanapteryx, a large Ralline bird, allied to the living Ocy- 

 dromus, but incapable of flight. It survived into the human 

 period, and was exterminated at a comparatively late date. 



ORDER III. RASORES. The third order of Carinate Birds 

 is that of the Rasores, or Scratchers, often spoken of col- 

 lectively as the " Gallinaceous " birds, from the old name of 

 " Gallinae," given to the order by Linnaeus. The Rasores are 

 characterised by the convex, vaulted upper mandible, having the 

 nostrils pierced in a membranous space at its base. The nostrils 

 are covered by a cartilaginous scale. Taking the Gallinacei as 

 the type of the crder, the legs are strong and robust, mostly 

 covered with feathers as far as the joint between the tibia and 

 tarso-metatarsus. There are four toes, three in front and one be- 

 Jiind, the latter being short, and placed at a higher level than the 

 other toes. All the toes terminate in strong blunt claws suitable 



