172 



CORACIIFORMES. 



Subclass CORACIIFORMES. 



The Coraciiformes may be diagnosed by a single character. So 

 far as is known they differ from every other bird in the arrangement 

 of their deep plantar tendons. In all other birds the hallux (if it be 

 present and important enough to have any connection with the deep 



Deep plantar tendons of Catharista atratut. 



plantar tendons) is connected with the flexor longus hallucis and not 

 with the flexor perf or ans digitorum. All the Coraciiformes have a 

 hallux, and in all of them it is connected with the flexor perforatis 

 digitorum, and not with the flexor longus hallucis. The two plantars 

 are always coalesced (as they are in the Accipitres, Anseres, &c.), 

 but may easily be separated by gently tearing them asunder ; but in 

 very many cases the tendon to the hallux branches off from the flexor 

 perforans digitorum before th^wo deep plantars coalesce. 



The subclass Coraciiformes contains two orders, one of which is 

 represented in Japan, the other being confined to the American 

 continent. 



