STEGANOPODES. 207 



Subclass ANSERIFORMES. 



The Anseriformes appear to form a natural group of birds which 

 may be diagnosed as follows : — 



Palate desmognathous ; spinal feather-tract not defined on the 

 neck (either coalesced with the ventral feather-tracts, or replaced by 

 a spinal bare tract) ; front plantar not leading to the hallux. 



The Subclass Anseriformes contains two Orders. 



Order PELECANO-HERODIONES. 



The Pelicans, the Herons, and their allies possess, of course, the 

 three characters which diagnose the Subclass to which they belong, 

 and in addition possess the following character, which distinguishes 

 them from the Lamellirostres : — the young are born helpless, and 

 require to be fed in the nest by their parents for many days. 



The Order Pelecano-Herodiones contains three Suborders : Stega- 

 nopodes, Herodiones, and Plataleae, each of which is represented in 

 the Japanese Empire. 



Suborder XVIII. STEGANOPODES. 



Palate desmognathous ; no bare tracts on neck ; mandible not 

 produced and recurved behind its articulation with the quadrate j no 

 basipterygoid processes ; hallux united to second digit by a web. 



The number of species which comprise the Steganopodes probably 

 does not much exceed 50. They generally breed in large colonies, 

 which are distributed in the tropical and temperate regions of both 

 hemispheres. They may be grouped in families, which are easily 

 diagnosed by well-marked osteological characters. 



Eight species are found within the Japanese Empire. 



