92 



bh. Bill hooked and cered ; claws sharp and strong. (Owls, hawks, eagles and 



vultures.) Rapt07'es, C. 



hbb. Bill slender; smallest of all birds. (Humming-birds.) . Picarice, B. 



bbbb. Claw of hmd toe as long as claw of middle toe ; wing coverts few, in 



two rows. (Mostly small birds.) ..... Paseres, A. 



aa. Hind toe above the others, and usually shorter. 



c. Mouth wide and deep, reaching below the eyes. (Whippoorwill and 

 night-hawks.) ........ Picarice, B. 



cc. Bill lengthened, mouth not wide and deep. 



d. First wing feather notched, or else about as long as second. 



• Limicolm, F. 



dd. First wing feather not notched, much shorter than second. (Cranes 



and rails.) ,....,. Alectorides, H. 



II. Outer and middle toe grown together for half their length. (Kingfisher.) 



PicaricE, B. 



III. Toes joined at the base only by evident movable webbing. (Some falcons, 



whippoorwills, and doves may be found here.) 



e. Hind toe on a level with the rest, and the leg (tibiae) naked below. (Herons 

 and storks.) ........ Herodiones, G. 



ee. Hind toe not level vi^ith the rest, and usually the shortest; bill stout, nos- 

 trils scaled or feathered. (Turkeys, grouse, and partridge.) GallincB, E, 



IV. Toes lobate, bordered on the sides by plain or scalloped membranes. 



f. Tail rudimentary ; set far back. (Loons and grebes.) Pygopodes, L. 



ff. Tail perfect ; a horny frontil shield. (Coots and gallinules.) 



Alectorides, H. 

 fff. Tail developed ; forehead without frontal plate. (Phalaropes.) 



LimcolcB, F. 



V. Toes palmate ; three front toes full-webbed. 



g. Bill curved up ; legs long. (Avocets). . . . LimicolcB, F. 



gg. Bill lamellate, flattish mostly, and the tip with a decurved nail. (Ducks, 

 geese, and swahs). ..... Lamellirostres, I. 



SSS' Wings long and pointed; tail well developed. (Gulls and terns. ) 



Longipennes, K. 



VI. Toes totipalmate; all four full-webbed. ( Pelicans and cormorants. ) 



Steganopodes , y. 



ORDER A. PASSERES. 



{Passerine Birds.) 



These comprise the great majority of all birds. They represent the "highest 

 grade of development and the most complex organization of the class ; their high 

 physical irritability is coordinate vvrith the rapidity of their respiration and circula- 

 tion ; they consume the most oxygen, and live the fastest of all birds." 



The toes are 4; fitted for perching; the claw of back toe is as long or longer 

 than claw of middle toe ; joints of toes are respectively 2, 3, 4, 5, from the first to 

 the fourth; wing coverts few, chiefly in two series. Tail feathers 12; primaries 9 

 or 10. Musical organs well developed. Young reared in the nest and fed by the 

 parents. 



