﻿CLASSIFICATION 
  

  

  Although 
  birds 
  have 
  been 
  studied 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  class 
  of 
  animals, 
  

   authorities 
  on 
  classification 
  are 
  still 
  widel}" 
  at 
  variance 
  in 
  their 
  views 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  proper 
  arrangement 
  of 
  orders, 
  families, 
  genera 
  and 
  species. 
  The 
  

   difficulty 
  arises 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  birds, 
  although 
  so 
  closely 
  related 
  to 
  

   reptiles 
  that 
  Huxley 
  proposed 
  to 
  unite 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  class, 
  have 
  never- 
  

   theless 
  been 
  so 
  modified 
  in 
  details 
  of 
  superficial 
  structure 
  and 
  in 
  color, 
  

   that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  continual 
  temptation 
  to 
  raise 
  groups 
  into 
  higher 
  

   positions 
  than 
  correspond 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  equal 
  value 
  in 
  other 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  

   animal 
  kingdom. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  differentiation 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  

   portions 
  of 
  avian 
  anatomy 
  has 
  reached 
  such 
  a 
  high 
  development, 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  bird's 
  freedom 
  of 
  movement 
  and 
  adaptability 
  to 
  surroundings, 
  that 
  

   it 
  is 
  sometimes 
  impossible 
  to 
  decide 
  whether 
  a 
  given 
  structure 
  or 
  its 
  absence 
  

   is 
  due 
  to 
  real 
  relationship 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  parallel 
  development 
  in 
  unrelated 
  forms. 
  

   Assuming 
  that 
  the 
  different 
  systems 
  of 
  classification 
  are 
  intended 
  to 
  repre- 
  

   sent, 
  as 
  they 
  should, 
  the 
  real 
  relationship 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  species, 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  evident 
  from 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  orders 
  of 
  

   birds 
  found 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State, 
  in 
  the 
  three 
  systems 
  which 
  are 
  best 
  known 
  

   in 
  America 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  how 
  far 
  we 
  are 
  from 
  a 
  complete 
  knowledge 
  

   or 
  agreement 
  on 
  this 
  subject. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind, 
  however, 
  that 
  

   no 
  linear 
  sequence 
  of 
  species 
  such 
  as 
  becomes 
  necessary 
  in 
  book 
  writing 
  

   can 
  possibly 
  show 
  the 
  proper 
  relationship 
  of 
  the 
  families 
  and 
  species. 
  An 
  

   arrangement 
  like 
  the 
  spreading, 
  dividing 
  and 
  subdividing 
  branches 
  of 
  a 
  

   tree 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  show 
  much 
  more 
  accurately 
  their 
  proper 
  relation- 
  

   ships. 
  When 
  we 
  consider 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  discovering 
  the 
  complete 
  history 
  

   of 
  the 
  evolution 
  of 
  birds, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  wonderful 
  parallel 
  development 
  

   which 
  has 
  occurred 
  in 
  many 
  orders 
  and 
  families, 
  and 
  the 
  insuperable 
  ob- 
  

   stacles 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  a 
  linear 
  arrangement, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  easy 
  to 
  imderstand 
  

   the 
  disagreement 
  of 
  authorities 
  on 
  classification. 
  It 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  a 
  

   more 
  correct 
  arrangement 
  could 
  be 
  adopted 
  than 
  the 
  classification 
  current 
  

  

  