36 MANUAL 



rudimentary. About the only thing that they do well is to 

 swim both in and under the water. The three families which 

 compose the order conform sufficiently to preclude the form- 

 ing of sub-orders. 



The above brief characterization of the Classes and Orders 

 of our Birds, though made primarily for the use of students 

 of North American Ornithology, will apply almost equally to 

 the birds of the whole world, — which number about 12,000 

 species. The numbee of North American species are about 

 900, or less than one-thirteenth of the above number ; yet, 

 by our most recent authorities, they include every order known 

 but two. The Brevjpennes or Ostriches, etc., and the Sphe- 

 nice or Penguines, alone accepted ; but they form a very small 

 per cent, of the whole number. In order, then, that we may 

 have the field fully before us, a brief mention of the usual 

 classification of the Birds of the World will now be intro- 

 duced. It will do well for the use of the student as he ad- 

 vances in study ; and, I think, be equally understood by 

 the amateur w T ho has reached thus far in his work amongst 

 these most charming subjects of the present sketch. 



What we have styled in the beginning of our analysis the 

 Old School Ornithologists, divided the Birds of the World 

 into seven Groups — called sometimes Classes and sometimes 

 Orders — as follows : 



I RAPTORES or ROBBERS 

 II SCANSORES or CLIMBERS 



III INSESSORES or PERCHERS 



IV RASORES or SCRATCHERS 

 V CURSORES or RUNNERS 



VI GRALLATORES or WADERS 

 IIV NATATORES or SWIMMERS 



