296 



VERTEBRATE ANIMALS. 



spend most of their time wading about in shallow water, feeding 

 upon small fishes, shell-fish, worms, and insects. Others, such as the 

 Storks, live mostly upon the land, and are more or less exclusively 

 vegetable feeders. 



Amongst the more important Grallatorial birds are the Rails 

 (Rallidce), Water-hens (Gallinulw), Cranes (Gruidw), Herons (Ar- 

 deidce), Storks (Ciconina;), Snipes (Scolopacidce), Sandpipers (Trin- 

 gidce), Curlews {Numenius), Plovers {Cliaradriidce), and Bustards 

 {Otidce). 



The Bails are more or less terrestrial in their habits, but inhabit 

 marshes and fens. Good examples are the Marsh-hen (Rallus ele- 

 gans) and the Virginia Rail {R. virginiaiuis) of North America, and 



Fig. 210.— Grallatores. A, Leg and Foot of Curlew ; B, Head of Snipe ; 

 C, Beak of Avocet. 



the Corn-crake {Cre.v pratensis) of Europe. The Water-hens (Gal- 

 linula) and Coots {Ftdlcn) are aquatic or semi-aquatic, swimming 

 and diving with the greatest ease. The Cranes are in the main 

 vegetable-feeders, and inhabit dry plains. The Herons (fig. 211), 

 Egrets, Bitterns, and Night Herons, form a beautiful family of Wad- 

 ing Biids, rejjresented in almost every portion of the known world. 

 Nearly allied to these are the brilliantly coloured Ibises (Tantalinai), 

 which inhabit all warm countries. The Ciconiiue are all large birds, 

 and comprise the Storks and Adjutant ; while the Spoonbills are 

 mainly separated from them by their flattened, spoon-shaped bill. 

 The Scolopacidce, comprising the Snipes and Woodcocks, the Trin- 

 gidce (or Sandpipers), the Curlews (Xumenius), and various other 

 allied Birds, are distinguished from the preceding by the possession 

 of a long, soft, slender bill, which is used in probing the ground for 



