xiv NORTH AMEinCA.V ]!IRDS. 



tlio true relations of tlie members embniceil iiiuler tliose lieads. Enough 

 lias also lu'cn adduced to enable us to j^rouj) many t'ornis into families and 

 somewliat more conijireliensive groups, definable by osteologieal and otlier 

 eliaracters. Sueli are the (.'haradriniorpiia', ("econiorpha', Aleetoroinorpliie, 

 rteriH'lvimorjilia', Peristeromorjiha', ( 'oracDMior})!!;!', ('yp.<eloniorplia', Celeo- 

 moijilia', Ac'toniorpliii', and several ullieis. Hut it is \ery doubtfid wlietlier 

 the true clew to the aitinities of the gmups thus determined lias been found 

 in tiie relations of the vomer and contiguous bones. The families, too, have 

 been i>robably, in a number of cases, es])ecially for ihe passerine birds, too 

 nuudi circumscribed. Tlie in'ogress of sy.stematic ornithology, however, lias 

 b'oen so ]a[>id \\ithin the 'ast few years, that we may be allowed to hope that 

 in a second edition of this work the means may be furnished for a strictly 

 scientific classification and seipiencc of the families. (T. \. (J.) 



A primary divisiim of recent oirds may be made by sejiaration of the 

 {«) Batild, or struthious birds and their allies, — in which the sternum has 

 no keel, is dmeloped from lateral paired centres of ossification, and in Mliich 

 there are numerous other structural jicculiarities of high ta.xonomic import, — 

 from the {h) Carinatcv, including all remaining birds cf the present geidogic 

 epoch. Otlier juiinary divisions, such as that info Allrici>i and I'rocorm 

 of r>ona])arte, or the corresponding yet somewhat modified and improved 

 J'sl/ojiKiilis and J'tildjxicdcs of Sundevall, are o]ien to the serious objections 

 that they ignore the ])rofound distinctions between struthious and other 

 birds, lUpiire too numerous exceptions, cannot be ]irimarily determined by 

 e.\aminaii:iu of adult specimens, and are liased upcui ]iliysiolo;,dcal considera- 

 tions not necessarily co-ordinate with actual physical .strucfure. 



In the following .scheme, without attempting to indicate jiositive ta.xo- 

 nomic rank, and without committing myself finally, I ]ii'esent a numlier 

 of higi.er groups into which Cariiiate liirds may be divided, capalile of ap- 

 jiroximately exact definition, and ajijiareiifly of a] (proximately e(|uivalent 

 taxonomic value. I'oints of the arrangement are freely drawn from the 

 writings of various authors, as will lie jierceived bytlio.se comjietent to judge 

 without special references. I am jiarticularly indebted, however, to the 

 late admirable and highly important work of I'rofessor Sundevall,' from 

 which \('i'y many characters are directly borroweil. The arrangement, in 

 effect, is a modification of that adopted by me in flic " Key to North Aiiieri- 

 ciui liiids," u])on considerations similai to those herewith implieil. The 

 main points of '''iference are non-recognit'ion ()f three leading groujis of 

 nerinl, terrestrir ■ id natatorial birds, — groujis without morphological basis, 

 resting simjdy u]ioii tclcological modification ; a general depreciation of the 

 ta\oiioiiii(! value of tlu! several gnaips, conformaMy with the considerations 

 ]ircseiitcil in the jirecediiig ])ages of this work ; abolishing of the group 

 <iriilli(l(iri'^ ; and recognition of a jirimary group SjiJirninri.^ 



1 Mil/iiii/i iiiiliiriiUs (iriiiiii ilin/iiiiiriii/iiriiiii /(■iiliiiiiiii. .Slui'tsliolni, IST'J "•'!. 



- Tlii.s ^'rnM|i is iiisu.si'eptible of ilclitiitioii. Tfu' wmliiif; hints, as usiiiiHy alloiatcil, ilo not 



