THE FULICARI/E. 125 



2. FULICARLE. 



This family cannot be separated pterylographically from the preceding unless I were to unite 

 with it the last two genera of the latter. Nevertheless it presents in itself rather remarkable 

 differences, which I prefer putting forward tabularly. 



I. With narrow tract-bands and a distinctly divergent outer branch on the inferior tract. 



A. The dorsal tract has a true gap at the end of the shoulder-blades. 



The genus Aramus, VIEILL. (Notherodius, TEMM.), which belongs here, differs in no respect 

 from the type described for PsopMa and Grus, and might properly be placed with them in the 

 family of the Alectorides if in the form of its bill and its long toes it did not so distinctly resemble 

 Rallus. From this last-mentioned accordance it would appear to be pretty certain that 

 Lichtenstein's notion, according to which this bird is a Rallus (he calls it Rallus gigas) comes 

 nearest to the truth, and that this genus can be referred neither to the Erodii nor to the Storks, 

 although, as Temrninck thinks, it is certainly nearly allied to Grus, at least in its pterylosis. For 

 its more definite characterisation, I may observe that the ptilosis continua extends beyond the 

 middle of the neck, and that the space causing the bifurcation of the anterior part of the dorsal 

 tract reaches up to it. The posterior part of this tract is very weak, divided as far as the caudal 

 pit, dilated behind, and coalescent with the femoral tracts. The inferior tract is not so broad on 

 the anterior part of the breast as in Grus, and its main stem here, as in Psophia, appears to be 

 weakened, but becomes stronger and broader at the end of the breast. The two stems meet 

 before reaching the anus. The form of the wings and the texture of the plumage are, however, 

 exactly as in Rallus ; in the wing I counted twenty-six remiges, of which the first is equal to the 

 tenth, the second to the seventh, and the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth are the longest. They all 

 terminate in an obtusely rounded and rather broad extremity, not acute, as in Grus ; and 

 the first has an emargination both at the base of the inner and at the apex of the outer vane, 

 from which it acquires a very remarkable and peculiar form. In the tail there are twelve 

 feathers. 



B. The dorsal tract is neither interrupted nor strikingly weakened at the end of the shoulder- 

 blades. 



This form of the dorsal tract, which is shown in Fig. 6 of Plate VIII, constitutes the true 

 Fulicarian type, and occurs in all these birds which at the same time possess weakened and soft 

 tail-feathers. The outer branch, moreover, in this second group, differs essentially from the type 

 of the Alectorides in its remarkably broad and posteriorly pointed form and its strong structure. 

 Here also there is no ptilosis continua, except upon the head, for the lateral neck-space almost 



