XIX 



IXTRODrCTloX. 



lum conllucnt witli it.-; kcol. ('arotiils iloul)lo. Piilate liifrhly dcsmorjna- 

 thons. Kcprodiiciioii altricia! ; yoiuifi- [isilopiuilic or iitilopiiMlic. l\L;\irs 

 tKii/c 111- !l'A\ci-. 



Li. IiONGIPiiNNES. (To riosl of the eliaractcrs of tlio fjToiip Iiltc frivcli 

 ttu' li'cims llaliidi-iniia is a sii,Mi:il "xci'iitiou, tlioi'.ijh uii(|iK,'Stioiialily Iprloiig- 

 iiiij; liiTc.) F('(.'l ;)aliiiatL'. Tiliia' fua'liiTiMl. Loffs at or near <'fiitiv of iMiui- 

 liliriuiii, alliii-iliiii: liorizoiital posilioii of axis <,f l)oily in wall<iii,i,'. Kir'c 

 scarcely IniricMl in coniiiioii iiitcji-miic- • ; tiliia sonictinus with a ionj,' apo- 

 physis. Hall. IX ck'vaicil, froc, fuiu ^Icss : very sinall. rudiincntary, oi' 

 wantiiiir. Piosti'iini of varialjlc shape, usually compressed and strai<,dit to 

 the hooUed end, sometimes entirely sti'aij;ht and acute, i/onnnonly lenj;lh- 

 ened, always eoriieoiis, without serration or true lanielhe. .Nostiils of vaii- 

 ous forms, tuliular or simply lissiu'cd, never abortive. No gular poueh. 

 WiuLis very lonf? and pointed, siirpa.'Jsing' the base and often the end of the 

 laru'c, well-formed, few-feathered tail. Carotids doulile. Palate sehizo"-- 

 iiathous. Repioduction altrieial; young ptilopiudie. Eggs three or fewer. 

 Habit highly volueral. 



M. PYGOPODES. I'Vet palmate or lobate. 'J'ibiie feathered, ollen with 

 a long apo[)hysis, always buried in common integument nearly to the heel- 

 joint, necessitating a more or less erect posture of the body on land, where 

 progression is <liltieult. Hallux small, ch'vated or wanting; feet lobate or 

 palmate. liill of indet<'rminat(; shape, wholly corneous, never lamellate or 

 serrate, nor with gular poueh. N'ostrils not abortive. Wings very short 

 reaching .scarcely or not to the base, never to the tip, of the .short, some- 

 times rudimentary, tail. Palate .sehizognathotis. Carotid usually double 

 sometimes single (in Poilicr/is and Mer(/ii/ii«). Nature altrieial or pnecocial • 

 young ptilopa'die. Highly nalatoi'ial. 



IV. SPHENISCI. With general characters of the last group, but di.s- 

 tiiiguislied by uni(|ue ])tilosis and wing-structure, etc. Plumairc without 

 apteria, of singularly modified .scale-like feathers on m.ost ])arts : no devel- 

 oped remiges. Wings unlit llor llight, insusceptible of ])eriect llcxion or 

 extension, very short, with peculiarly llattencd lioiies and stable articulations. 

 Skeleton iion-pneuinatic. Many bones, terete in ordinary birds, here nattened. 

 iMctalarsal bone flattened transversely, doubly H'liestrate. Hallux elevated, 

 lateral, minute, free. No free pollex. Two a.iconal sesamoids; patella 

 from double centres; tibia without apophJ^sis; a free tarsal ossicle. Ster- 

 num with long lateral apophyses. Pelvic connections un.stable. Caro- 

 ti.ls double. Comprising only the Penguins. Conlined to the Southern 

 Hemisiihere. 



Ilaviiij^- tlius presented and defined an aminn;enient of the hi,i,dier groups 

 into which recent Carinate birds are siisce])til)h! of division, I ne.xt jiroceed 

 to tlie consideration of tlie North American Families of birds wliich tlie 

 authors of tlie present work have provisionally ado])ted as suitable to 

 the end they had in view. Professor 15aird uro^s the caution that the 

 scheme is intended merely for the cimvenient deternn'iiation of tlie Xortli 

 American s])ec::>s, aware that in many instances diaono,scs or antitheses of 

 entire pertinence in such application woidd fail or be negatived by con- 

 sideration of the e.xotic forms. The arrang(>ment of the fannlies here 

 adojited is essentially that presented in 18.uS in Pi'ofessor Baird's "Birds of 



