34 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. IV. 



must have departed early from the Larine stem, but since 

 then peculiar forms have developed, while the extraordinary 

 Arctic-Antarctic distribution, agreeing with other Lariform 

 groups, is not otherwise met with. 



The Alciformes naturally follow the Lariformes, but hitherto 

 the Colymbiformes have not been added, though a few taxono- 

 mists have noted their Alciform relationship. There can be 

 little argument as to the reality of this alliance, but the 

 Podicipes have no place here. There seems no real reason 

 for the common association of the Colymbi and Podicipes, 

 their morphology denying any near phylogenetic relation. 

 To follow the Colymbiformes we place the anomalous Chionidi- 

 formes, including therein the Dromadidse and Chionididse. 

 Their Lari-Charadriiform character is fully proved by the 

 osteological and other features, which have been so fully 

 described recently. 



The suborder Charadriiformes we have divided into six 

 superfamilies, the first being the Burhinoidea, for the family 

 Burhinidse alone. This group recalls in many ways the 

 Lariform series, while it differs morphologically from the 

 Charadriiform s. str. series though not to such a degree as 

 some workers decide, the differential features being exag- 

 gerated and misunderstood. 



The superfamily Scolopacoidea covers three families, Scolo- 

 pacidse, Phalaropidse and Recurvirostridse. The first named 

 is certainly divisible into subfamilies, probably more than 

 three in number, and their interrelation is not yet determined. 

 The Phalaropidse seem to us to have developed independently 

 from three Scolopacoid forms, while the Recurvirostridse just 

 as surely appear to have arisen from the same basis through 

 specialisation in another manner. Arriving at the superfamily 

 Charadrioidea, we admit four families, Hsematopodidse, 

 Arenariidse, Charadriidse and Vanelhdse. The two first 

 families consist of small isolated groups, not very closely 

 related to each other or to the succeeding famity, the Chara- 

 driidse, which includes the bulk of the superfamily. More 

 than one subfamily will be recognised later in the Charadriidse, 

 and from one section we can trace the Vanellidse, which is 



