310 DR. H. GADOW ON THE INTESTINAL [May 21, 



The Ratita are a very heterogeneous group, because of the great 

 diversity in the length and arrangement of the main gut and in the 

 development of the caeca. In none of these birds has it come to the 

 development of closed and well-defined loops of the mid-gut (with 

 the exception of the duodenum). In this respect they represent 

 the lowest type amongst the recent birds ; to connect them with the 

 Reptiles would, however, be a far-fetched and futile attempt. Their 

 connections with recent Carinatse are distant. Nearest of them to the 

 latter comes Apteryx through more defined loops, and the Crypturi 

 seem to represent the link. The Gallinee stand more distant. All the 

 Ratitse agree with each other in having the second loop right- 

 handed, and the third left-handed ; this is a feature which occurs again 

 only in the Crypturi, Gallinse, Opisthocomus, and in the Cuculidse. 



The GallincB form a well-defined group ; lowest among them stand 

 the Neotropical Wood-fowls, and it is through them that they lead 

 towards the Crypturi. The Gallinse have also an unmistakable 

 resemblance to Opisthocomus and thence to the Cuculidae. 



The Turnic.es, to which belongs undoubtedly Fedionomus, are 

 traceable to a Ralline or low Gralline stock, with assumed plagio- 

 coelous characters of the second loop. 



The pericoelous assemblage is large. It is typically represented 

 by the Grallse, of which the Limicolfe and the Rallidas form the 

 principal groups. However, the configuration of their intestinal 

 folds as well as numerous other characters separate these two groups 

 sufficiently to give them equivalent rank. 



The RallidcE, to which belong the Alectorides, are connected with 

 the Turnices, more distantly with the Crypturi, and still more so with 

 Apteryx. Dicholophus is in all points a Gruine form, like Psophia, 

 and cannot be separated from them. Rhinochetus contains Ralline, 

 Limicoline, and Ibis-like features ; the only bird which it resembles 

 somewhat closely in its very peculiar intestinal convolutions is Podica. 



The Limicolce agree with the Laridce, and also with the Columbce, 

 in all essential points. Each of these three groups contains a number 

 of forms which lead in an unbroken series from the typically peri- 

 coelous birds with four alternating loops to the typically mesogyrous 

 birds. Most Columbae and Laridse are mesogyrous ; Sterna and 

 its allies represent pericoelous or lower forms. Neither granivorous, 

 nor insectivorous, nor piscivorous habits have exerted any appreciable 

 influence upon their intestinal convolutions, although of course the 

 stomach and the cseca are affected. The presence of the crop of the 

 Columbse is repeated in the granivorous limicoline genera Attayis SinA 

 Thinocorys. 



It is interesting to note that Limosa and Numenius are both low 

 Limicolae, and that Numenius approaches in various ways the Ibises, 

 whence of course a continuous line can be traced into Platalea and 

 Phcenicopterus on the one hand and into the Pelargi proper on the 

 other. 



Rather different from the Limicolae are the PteroclidcB. They 

 have four loops, which are all closed, left-handed, i. e. isoccelous, 

 and straight ; the second and fourth loops have their apices turned 



