2 
Osteological Studies of the Sub-Family Ardevice. 
and what is an important fact in this connection is the circum¬ 
stance that besides being altricial, they are, with very few excep¬ 
tions, also decidedly arboreal, most of them even placing their 
nests on trees. They are swimmers, however, instead of being 
merely waders.” 
Ridgway’s synopsis appeared in 1878, eleven years after 
Huxley had published his master-work in avian classification, 
based upon characters referable to the cranium. In this latter ar¬ 
rangement the Herons fell into the numerous sub-order of the 
Desmognathee , of which they constituted a part of the group 
Pelargomorphee. Of this last, the principal osteological charac¬ 
ters are said to be that “ there are no basipterygoid processes, and 
the palatines usually unite for a greater or less distance behind 
the posterior nares ; but they send down no vertical plate from 
their junction.” 
“ The Maxillo-palatines are large and spongy.” 
“ The angle of the mandible is truncated.” 
“ The sternum is broad, and may have two or four posterior 
notches.” 
In 1884, appeared the second edition of Professor Cone’s 
key to the North American Birds. This author thoroughly 
availing himself of the labors of those who had preceded him, 
says, after fully characterizing the Order Herodiones, (Herons and 
their allies) as Altricial Grallatores , including the Herons, Storks, 
Ibises, Spoonbil’s, and related birds, that “ the group here noted 
corresponds to the Pelargomorphce of Huxley, the Ciconiiformes 
of Garrod, (minus Cathartidcz ! ) the Grallatores altinares of 
Sundevall, and includes the Herodice , Pelargi , and Hemiglottides 
of Nitzsch, respectively the Heron series, the Stork series, and 
the series of Ibises arid Spoonbills. The first of these differs more 
from the others than these do from one another. As usual, there 
tire certain out-lying genera, types of families or sub-families, the 
position of which is not assured. But appearances are that the 
questionable forms will fall in one or another of the three series 
indicated. All of these series, to be conventionally rated as sub¬ 
orders or super-families are represented in North America. There 
also all the large and leading families occur.” 
The Ardeidce of North America have been classified under 
two sub-families, the Ardeince containing the true Herons and 
the Botaurince , the Bitterns. 
