The Classification of Birds 47 



assemblage that will rank with the families of other groups, whereas Sharpe 

 recognizes among them forty-nine families. "Surely," as Ridgway says, "be- 

 tween these extremes there is ample room for differences of opinion and variety 

 of treatment !" 



In attempting to select a scheme of classification to be followed in arranging 

 the various parts of this work, I have been presented, so to speak, with the two 

 horns of a dilemma. In the first place it is hardly to be presumed that many 

 readers will have more than a passing interest in all the intricacies and finer 

 problems of bird classification. The external appearance of birds, their habits 

 of life and conduct in their multitudinous details, will be, I assume, the main 

 points of attraction to most readers. To such any fairly consecutive arrange- 

 ment might prove reasonably acceptable, especially when it is recalled that the 

 state of the science is not now, nor will it apparently be for many a long year, 

 in position to permit anything like a final classification of birds. But, on the 

 other hand, it seems neither logical nor just to select an antiquated system when 

 it is perhaps as easy to adopt one embodying the results of modern research 

 along this line. Therefore the classification which I have finally adopted 

 represents, so far as I have been able to make it, an attempt at defining the 

 present status of knowledge regarding the affinities within the Class Aves. It 

 is in the main the classification of Gadow, but has been modified in several 

 minor particulars to accord with the later researches of Pycraft, Beddard, 

 D'Arcy-Thompson, Shufeldt, Ridgway, Lucas, and other well-known author- 

 ities. That this classification or any other will meet with the approval of all 

 systematists is hardly to be expected. I make no special claim for originality; 

 it is simply a putting together of facts from many sources in the hope that it 

 may prove a fairly acceptable arrangement. 



OUTLINE OF CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS 

 ADOPTED IN THIS WORK 



Class AVES 



Subclass I. ARCH^ORNITHES Archseopteryx 



Subclass II. NEORNITHES 



Order I. HESPERORNITHIFORMES Hesperornis 



Order II. ICHTHYORNITHIFORMES Ichthyornis 



Order III. STRUTHIONIFORMES Ostriches 



Order IV. RHEIFORMES Rheas 



Order V. CASUARIIFORMES .... Cassowaries and Emeus 



Order VI. CRYPTURIFORMES Tinamous 



Order VII. DINORNITHIFORMES ... . Moas 



Order VIII. JEPYORNITHIFORMES ... . Elephant-birds 



Order IX. APTERYGIFORMES . . Apteryx 



