8 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



mined — which, after all, is not so difficult when the ordinal diagnoses 

 which follow in their appropriate places have been consulted — little 

 difficulty need be experienced in locating any bird in the particular 

 group to which it belongs by means of chai-acters which are evident 

 in the museum specimen. 



KEY TO THE ORDERS OF THE SUBCLASS ORNITHUR^E. 



a. Jaws with teeth'; mandibular rami separated anteriorly'; distal ends of ilium and 

 ischium separated; extinct (Cretaceous). (Series Odontornithes.') 

 h. Sternum without keel; teeth in grooves or furrows; dorsal vertebrae heterocoe- 



lou=i ; wings rudimentary, f unctionless Odontolcae.' 



hh. Sternum keeled; teeth in sockets; dorsal vertebrae amphicoelous; wings well 



developed, used for flight Odontotormae.* 



aa. Jaws without teeth; mandibular rami united anteriorly; distal ends of ilium and 

 ischium united; recent and living, (^eries Eurhipidurafi) 

 b. Sternum without keel; lumbar vertebrae, 20; carpals, 3; furcula absent; coracoids 

 coalescent with scapulae; iliac bones parallel; wings rudimentary, not used 

 for flight. (Division Raiitoc.^) 

 c. Hallux absent; tibial bridge absent; head of quadrate bone single; deep 

 plantar tendons of type IV; bill shorter than head, with nostrils basal; 

 wings evident. 

 d. Ambiens muscle present; wings well developed; aftershaft wanting; rectrices 

 present. 



' In these characters agreeing with the Subclass Saururte. 



'' Odoriiondihes Marsh, Am. Journ. Sci., ser. 3, v, 1873, 161, 162. 



'' OdoiitiAat: Marsh, Am. Journ. Sci., ser. 3, x, 1875,403-408; Cope, Am. Nat. , xxiii, 

 1889, 8e9.—Xeoriiithes OdoMolca; Gadow, Bronn's Thier-Reichs, Vog., ii, 1893, 114, 

 299. — Oduiitoholcir Ste.ineger, Stand. Nat. Hist. , iv,1885, 27. — Dromseopappi Stejneger, 

 Stand. Nat. Hist., iv, 1885, 27; Cope, Am. Nat., xxiii, 1889, ?,&%.— Hesperornithes +Ena- 

 Huriiithes Fuerbringer, Unters. Morph. Syst. Vog., ii, 1888, 1152. 



* Odonlotorma: Marsh, Am. Journ. Sci. , ser. 3, x, 1875, 403-408; Cope, Am. Nat. , xxiii, 

 1889, 869. — Ichihyorniihiformes Fuerbringer, Unters. Morph. Syst. Vog., ii, 1888, 

 1566. — Ichthyornithes Fuerbringer, Unters. Morph. Syst. Vog., ii, 1888; Gadow, 

 Bronn's Thier-Reichs, Vog., ii, 1893, 119, 299. — Odontormx Stejneger, Sci. Rec, ii. 

 May 15, 1884, 155. 



^ Eurhipldiira Gill, in Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway's Hist. N. Am. Birds, i, Jan., 

 1874, p. xiii, in text. — i?to-7(ipidur« Stejneger, Sci. Rec, ii, 1884, 155; Stand. Nat. Hist., 

 iv,1885,31; Cope, Am. Nat, xxiii, 1889, 869. This series equals the i\"eoniiftes of Gadow 

 minus Neornithes Odontolcse + Ichthyornithes. Fuerbringer's classification has no group 

 of even approximate character, its equivalent being represented by all his "Orders" 

 except Archornithes {^Saururx) with his "Suborder" Ichthyomithifonies emi "Gens'' 

 EiMliornithes -\- Hesjti'ronnflies eliminated. 



'^Proceri Illiger, Prodr. Orn., 1811,246 (includes Casvmius + Struthio + Rhea). — 

 Aves RalUii' SIerrem, Tent. Syst. Av., 1813, — . — Raiitx Huxley, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lend., 

 1867, 418; Gadow, Bronn's Thier-Reichs, Vog. , ii, 1893, 103, 299.— iVcorm«7ies Ratitx 

 Gadow, Bronn's Thier-Reichs, Vug., ii, 1893, 90, 298. — Brevipennes Cuvier, Regne An., 

 ed.2,i, 1829, 494.— Pinri/s^cniajNiTzsOH, Syst. Pterylog., 1840, — .— Oo-roi/es Nitzsch, 



Syst. Pterylog., 1840, . — Rudipennes Bonaparte, Compt. Rend., xxxvii, 1853, 646. — 



Proceres Sundevall, Met. Nat. Av. Disp. Tent., 1872, 151 (ex Proceri Illiger). — 

 i7ow)otosiernn BlancHard, Ann. Sci. Nat. (Zool.), xi, 1859, 22. 



