OF ORNITHOLOGY 25 



SUB-CLASS II TERRESTRIAL BIRDS 

 ORDER 6 GALLINiE or Fowl-like Birds. 



7 G-RALLATORES or Wading Birds. 



SUB-CLASS III AQUATIC or WATER BIRDS 

 ORDER 8 LAMELLIROSTRES or Duck-billed Birds. 



9 STEGANOPODES or Totipalmate Birds. 



10 LONG-IPENNES, Long- winged or G-ull-like 



Birds. 



11 PYGOPODES or Diving Birds. 



Let us examine these orders more closely and see in what 

 respect they differ one from the other. 



The leading features of the different Orders of Birds, and 

 their necessary divisions into Sub-orders, may be shown as 

 follows, — though the Sub-orders, as a rule, are of compara- 

 tively little importance to the student as they show merely a 

 character, and not always a stable one, of the Order. 



ORDER I PASSARES 



Latin Passer, a sparrow or sparrow-like bird. 



They have the hind claw equal to or greater than the claw 

 of the middle toe. Toes one behind and three in front. Bill 

 without cere. Toes never reversible. Tarsus envelope gen- 

 erally entire behind. Greater wing coverts not half as long as 

 the primaries. Tail almost invariably of twelve perfect feath- 

 ers. Having but owe carotid artery. The Sub-orders are two. 



Sub-order 1 OSCINES or Singing Birds 



Latin oscen, a singing bird. 

 Though all the birds of this sub-order do not sing, yet the 

 vocal apparatus is highly developed with, usually, five distinct 

 pairs of singing or vocal muscles. Generally the tarsus cov- 

 ering is divided into two plates which meet behind in a con- 

 spicuous ridge. 



Sub-order 2 CLAMATORES or Screaming Birds 



Latin clamator, a brawler. 

 These birds have no well-developed singing muscles, conse- 



