2 NORTH AMKItlCAN- Hri!I)S. 



Tlic liirds of incy — uuuu't\ ^Inijii/ris liy sdiiic. iuitlinrs, iiiid /idjifaris (W 

 /I'li/Hiiis liy (illicis, and vciy u|iiini|)riiiU'ly (lc'si,i,'iiiitfil as tin; ^h'/iiiii(ir/>/i(r liy 

 I'l'dlussiir Huxli'V- — I'i'iiii (iiiu of tlio ludst sli(iii,L,'ly rluirat'lcii/i'd and sharply 

 limiti'd nf till' lii^hcr divisions of lliu Class of I'.iids. It. is only iccfiitly, 

 liipwcvtT, that IJM'ir jilaix' in a syst^niatic classiiicution and lliu iiidiicr nnin- 

 lurand relation of llu'ir .nilidivisions liiivo been iirojKn'ly undorslood. I'ro- 

 fcssor lliixli'y's views will ju'olialily Ibiin tlu; l)asis lor a ]i('niiancnt classili- 

 latinii, as tlicy laTtainly jioint lln' way to one cinincntly natnral. In his 

 ihiiiorlanl iiapci' entitled "On the Classitjcation of I'.inls, and on the Ta.\o- 

 nomic \'aliu^ of the Modilieatioiis of eiTtain (.'raiiial lloiies ohsei'vahle in 

 that Class," ■ this ^ttenlleinan has dealt coneisely upon the allinities of the 

 order Ji'ii/itiirrf^, and the distinguishing features of its subdivisions. In tiie 

 foil winu dia,uiioses the osteido,n'ieal eliaraeters are mainly liorrowed from 

 I'rofissor Huxley's work referred to. Nitzscli's " rteryli\ura])liy " "^ supplies 

 HUeh eliaraeters as are alibrded by the pluma,iie, most of wliieh confirm the 

 arranj^ement based u])on tiie osteolnt,'ical strueture ; while imjiortant su,i,'|4e.s- 

 tions have been derived i'roin MetJillivray's " History of Ilritish Jlirds."'^ 

 Tiie ^ron()^ra])hs of the Strifiidir and Fulnmldw, by Dr. J. J. Kaiip,* contain 

 much \alnalile information, and were they not distinured liy a very eccentric 

 system of arran,i;cment they would approach nearer to a natural classifica- 

 tion of the subfamilies, j^eneva, and subgenera, than any arrangement of the 

 les.ser grou])s which I have yet seen. 



The sjiecies of this group are spread over the whole world, trojiical regions 

 having the greatest variety of forms ilnd numlier of species. The i^frit/ithv 

 are cosmopolitan, most of the genera belonging to both continents. Tiie 

 Fithoiiidct: Mw also found the world over, but each continent lias subfamilies 

 jieculiar to it. The VntltKrliihr are peculiar to America, having analogous 

 n'preseiitatives in the Old World in the subfamily Vullnruuc belonging to 

 the Fiilcvniilo: The (I'l/jiof/innudn- are found only in South Africa, where a 

 single species, r///y/w/(/v(;;/(.s nrrjiinfariiai (( i-MKl,.), sole representative of tlie 

 family, is found. 



As regards the comjiarative number of species of this order in the two 

 continents, tlie Old World is considerably ahead of the New World, which 

 might be expected from its far greater land area. fiSl si)ecies an; given in 

 (Iray's Hand 1-ist,'^ of which certainly not more than oOO, probably not more 



' I'lV Tlidiiiiis H. IIiixl(>y, V. I!. S., V. 1'. Z. S. ; I^wpciling.s of tlu' Zoiilof^ical Society ol' I-oii- 

 iloii, im;7, ]i]i. 11') 47;'. 



- iJy Cliiiili's I.iidwij,' Xit/'iili. Kii^'lisli cilitioii, tianslutcil from tli<' licniuiii h\- Di. l'liili|i 

 l.utlry Siliitc r, and |nilili.-lic(l l)y tlii' liay Soi'icty of London, 181.7. 



^ liy William Mr( lilliviay, A. M. ; London, 1S40. 



* Sci' .laiilinc's t'ontrilmtions to Oiiiitliidofjy, Lomlon, ISIH, ]). fiS ; IS.'.O, p. Ctl ; IS.'il, \i. 110 ; 

 IS.'il!, |i, l(i:i ; and TransiU'tion.s of tlii' ZoiiloyiiMJ Socii'ty of London, ISH'i, p. '2lil. 



' Hand List of (icni'ia and .Sialics of lUids, dibtin<,'ni.sliin.if those containi'il in the Briti.sli 

 .MnsiMini. liy (leoige jiolieit (liay, F. 1{. S., etc. Part 1. Aci:ii>Urcs, Fismrii.il res, Tciudroslixs, 

 and Dciiliruslrcs. London, lh09. 



