OF ORNITHOLOGY 35 



on as a permanent distinguishing character ; the legs occupy 

 a position midway between those of the preceding and of the 

 following orders, and more nearly balance the body as in the 

 Insessores or Perching Birds ; hind toe, when present, free ; 

 wings of special importance, and long — usually extending to 

 beyond the base of the tail — flat, and narrow, hence the 

 power of flight is strong and flight swift, well-sustained, and 

 often long-continued, and the usually light body is well in 

 keeping with these characteristics ; nostrils open ; no pouch 

 on throat; web of feet variable in the different families. The 

 two sub-orders are : 



Sub-order 1 LARIDES or G-ulls, Terns, etc. 



Latin larus, Greek laros, " a ravenous sea-bird, the mew." 

 The birds of this sub-order would be better characterized 

 by their families than collectively. Nostrils not tubular but 

 linear. The Larides comprise four families, quite distinct, 

 and with the birds of each conforming well with each other — 

 to the more advanced student, a glance will usually determine, 

 without question, to which of the four a specimen belongs. 



Sub-order 2 PROCELLARIDES or Petrels, etc. 



Latin procella, a storm bird. 

 The birds here comprise two families, of which the familiar 

 Albatros forms one of them and the difficulty is much dimin- 

 ished. Nostrils tubular. 



• 

 ORDER XI PYGOPODES 



Greek puge, buttock or rump [''tail"]; Greek pons, a foot. 

 Our last order comprise what are usually characterised as 

 " the Diving Birds." They walk with difficulty as their legs, 

 as their name indicates, are situated at the extreme end of the 

 buttock or rump, so that walking with any degree of comfort 

 is impossible — their gate being an extremely awkward wad- 

 dle, and they do as little walking as possible. The wings are 

 more or less rudimentary, — long, narrow, and for the most 

 part not well-developed. Hind toe, when present, free ; tail 



