OF ORNITHOLOGY 37 



The characteristics of these Orders can be readily defined, 

 should one care to distinguish them, by what has already been 

 said in the foregoing pages. These groups held until within 

 a comparatively few years. The Fossil Birds have not been 

 included, so far, in any of our analyses. 



Our various institutions of learning, throughout the coun- 

 tay, before what we call the New System was very generally 

 adopted, arranged the Classes of Birds as follows : 



SUB CLASS I INSESSORES 



Order 1 PASSARES Oscine and Clamatorial Birds 



2 STRISORES Hnmminq Birds and Kingfishers 



3 ZYGODACTYLI Parrots and Woodpeckers 



4 ACCIPITRES Birds of Prey 



5 PULLASTR-5J Pigeons and Doves 



SUB CLASS II CURSORES 



6 GALLIN-ffi Grouse and Turkies 



7 BREVIPENNES Ostriches 



8 G-RALL-S3 Plovers and Herons 



SUB ORDER III NATATORES 



9 LAMELLIROSTRES Swans Geese Ducks 



10 STEGANOPODES Pelicans Cormorants 



11 LONGIPENNES Gulls Terns Petrels 



12 PYGOPODES Diving Cirds 



By careful comparison of this " Intermediate Series," as we 

 may call it, with both the old and the new classification, it 

 will be seen to be a decided step in advance of the old, while 

 foreshadowing the new. But few writers continue to use it at 

 the present time. 



We now come to what we will call the New System, in dis- 

 tinction from the others which we have thus far enumerated. 

 This system is well recognized as embodying the latest results 

 of the best workers in this department of science. 





