154 GRALL4T0RES: WADERS OR STILTED BIRDS. 



than in the class Birds. I must, however, endeavour from the besfc 

 authorities to characterize in the first place the five families of the 

 •waders already enumerated and placed in what I regard as their natural 

 order. First come Ardeidae, the Herons, birds of the greatest size 

 and power which this order affords and exceeded in this respect by very 

 few in the whole class. They often feed on fish and small Amphi- 

 bians or Reptiles, or even Mammals. These they snatch with theii^^ 

 long and usually strong beaks out of water, or in marshy spots. The 

 whole order tends to elongation of the beak, neck, legs and wings, the 

 lower part of the femur as well as the tibia being naked, and the food 

 being sucked up, extracted or snatched in a manner highly character- 

 istic. The Ardeidae have the bill longer than the head, thicky strong^ 

 usually compressed, rarely expanded, and more or less depressed. 

 Feet tetradactylous, with the toes joined at the base or semi-palmate. 

 This character is often rendered more vague by the awkward necessity 

 for including in it the Trumpeter, (Psophia) and the Caraima forming 

 a small sub-family, which I am strongly persuaded that we ought to 

 refer to the family among the Gallinaceous birds (Rasores), which re. 

 presents the Grallatores. Without them the character applies to a 

 considerable number of birds varying a good deal amongst themselves, 

 and in their differences so clearly exhibiting the prevailing tendencies 

 in analogy with the Orders, and the families under each, that they 

 may properly constitute sub-families. 



First we place Ciconinae the Storks, which have straight conical 

 pointed bills, stout legs and feet, the membrane connecting the front 

 toes very manifest, the hallux, or hind toe raised so as only to touch 

 the ground, the covering of the legs and feet reticulated seales. They 

 are known from the next subfamily by their greater size and strength 

 and by a peculiar habit or port, more easily recognised than defined 

 constituting the popular distinction between Storks and Herons. The 

 genera of this subfamily admitted by Dr. G. Gray, and character- 

 ised chiefly by the peciiliar shape and comparative size of the beak, are 

 Bromas, Ciconia, Leptoptilus, Mycteria and Anastomus. These birds 

 belong to India and Africa, a few visiting Europe in their migrations, 

 and one being known in South America, but no example occuring in. 

 North America. 



The next subfamily Ardeinae, embraces the Herons, night Herons^ 

 and Egrets, with which are commonly placed the Spoonbills, Boatbills^ 

 aud Balaeniceps, but considering the importance of the form of the hili 



