Sclater on the Sy sterna Avium. 
»3 
to ordinal rank, and should likewise stand as an independent 
order. Their very peculiar pterylosis, apart from their marked 
osteological differences from Strut hio and Rhea , would alone 
entitle them to this distinction. I would therefore propose to 
designate them Casuarii, the simple Latin plural being, in my 
opinion, a better term for the group than any name which would 
be a fresh burden on the memory. 
Amending the “Systema” according to the suggestions above 
made, we shall find it come out in two subclasses and twenty-six 
orders, somewhat as in the following table, where I have added 
to the name of each order about the number of species known to 
belong to it, basing my calculations mainly on the figures given 
in the second volume of Mr. Wallace’s 4 Geographical Distribu- 
tion.’ 
Orders of existing Birds. 
Subclass Carinate (10,121 species). 
I. Passeres 
5700 
XIII. Gallinae 
320 
II. Picariae 
1600 
XIV. Opisthocomi .... 
1 
III. Psittaci 
400 
XV. Hemipodii .... 
24 
IV. Striges 
180 
XVI. Fulicariae 
150 
V. Accipitres 
330 
XVII. Alectorides .... 
60 
VI. Steganopodes . . . . 
60 
XVIII. Limicolae 
250 
VII. Herodiones 
130 
XIX. Gaviae 
130 
VIII. Odontoglossae . . . . 
8 
XX. Tubinares 
100 
IX. Palamedeae 
3 
XXI. Pygopodes .... 
65 
X. Anseres 
180 
XXII. Impennes 
20 
XI. Columbae 
355 
XXIII. Crypturi ..... 
40 
XII. Pterocletes 
15 
Subclass 
Ratit^e (18 Species). 
XXIV. Apteryges 
4 
XXV. Casuarii 
10 
XXVI. Struthiones . 
4 
In concluding these somewhat desultory remarks I must beg 
my fellow workers not to suppose that I claim any originality 
for the system above given. It having been a necessity for me to 
employ so 7 ne system in certain pieces of work (such as the 4 No- 
menclator’ and the various catalogues of animals in the Zoolog- 
ical Society’s Gardens) , I have endeavored to frame one that is 
free from certain objections which are patent in the systems usually 
