885. 
LAMELLIROSTRES: ANSERINE BIRDS. 677 
dark brown, the spots usually mere pin-heads, sometimes large blotches. The nest is some- 
times on dry ground a little away from water. The young hatch covered with black down, 
fantastically striped with bright orange-red, with vermilion bill tipped with black. . 
(addenda.) F. a/tra. (Lat. atra, black.) Europran Coot. Like the last. Bill, inelud- 
ing frontal plate, entirely white; edge of wing, and of first primary, white, but no white on 
the crissum. Europe; only N. Am. as occurring in Greenland. 
xX. Order LAMELLIROSTRES: Anserine Birds. 
Bill lamellate: that is, both mandibles furnished aloug their tomial edges with series 
of laminar or teeth-like projections, alternating and fitting within each other. Covering of 
bill ‘membranous, wholly or in greatest part. Tongue fleshy, usually with horny tip, and 
serrate or papillate edges corresponding to the denticulations of the bill. Feet palmate; hallux 
elevated, free, simple, or lobed (rarely absent). Wings never exceedingly long, rarely very 
short. Tail generally short and many-feathered. (Esophagus narrower than in the lower 
flesh-eating orders, usually with « more or less specially formed crop; gizzard strongly 
muscular; intestines and their cceca long; cloaca capacious. Legs near centre of equilibrium ; 
_ position of body in walking horizontal or nearly so. Reproduction precocial. Sexual habit 
frequently polygamous. Diet various, commonly rather vegetarian than animal. There are 
two remarkably diverse types of lamellirostral birds, of more than family value, by some now 
made the bases of separate orders. The matter at issue may be here compromised by the 
recognition of two series, or suborders, as was done in the somewhat parallel cases of Columbe, 
Galline, and Alectorides. 
17. SuBORDER ODONTOGLOSS: GRALLATORIAL ANSERES. 
Consisting of the single family of the Flamingoes; the Odontoglosse of Nitzsch, the 
Amphimorphe of Huxley, the Phenicopteride of most authors. ‘‘The genus Phenicopterus 
is so completely intermediate between the Anserine birds on the one side, and the Storks and 
Herons on the other, that it can be ranged with neither of these groups, but must stand as the 
type of a division by itself. Thus the skull has the long lacrymo-nasal region, the basi- 
pterygoid facets, the prolonged and recurved angle of the mandible, the laminated horny sheath 
of the Chenomorphe | Anatide] ; but the maxillo-palatines are spongy, and the general structure 
of the rostrum is quite similar to that found in Storks and Herons. The lower end of the crus 
is bare, but the feet are fully webbed; and the pterylosis is said by Nitzsch to be completely 
stork-like.” (Huxley.) According to Garrod, two carotids are present, but the right is much 
larger than the left, which joins it low down in the neck (unique in detail, but similar to the 
disposition found in Bitterns and certain Parrots; fig. 94). The femoro-caudal is absent; the 
ambiens, accessory femoro-caudal, semitendinosus and accessory semitendinosus are present 
(differing both from Herodiones and Anatide). The tongue is thick, fleshy, papillate, with 
terminal nail, and closely tied down; cesophagus extremely narrow, with special crop; gizzard 
very muscular ; intestines ample, both in length and calibre; two long cceca, constricted at 
base; a capacious cloaca. Bill of unique shape, but perfectly lamellate. General configur- 
ation of body and members grallatorial ; legs and very slender neck exceedingly long, exhibit- 
ing even an exaggeration of the proportions of Cranes, Storks, and Herons; but toes webbed. 
The external characters are so nicely balanced between those of wading and swimming birds, 
that the Flamingoes have been placed indifferently, in both groups; but nearly the whole 
organization corresponds essentially with that of the duck tribe, the grallatorial relationship, 
in form and habits, though so evident, being rather of analogy than of affinity. The physi- 
ological nature is said to be precocial; the young hatching clothed and taking directly 
to the water. 
