1. Order Ichthyornithes.--Power of flight well developed. Vertebrae
still amphicoelous. With small pygostyle. Incisura ischiadica. With
alveolar teeth. Cretaceous of Kansas. _Ichthyornis, Apatornis_.
2. Order Colymbiformes.--Plantigrade, nidifugous, aquatic. All toes
webbed, fourth largest, hallux short; metatarsus laterally compressed;
tibia with high, pyramidal crest. Bill straight, pointed, with simple
sheath.
Sub-order 1. COLYMBI, Divers. Front toes completely webbed.
Holarctic. _Colymbus_.
Sub-order 2. PODICIPEDES, Grebes. Toes lobated. Cosmopolitan.
3. Order Sphenisciformes.--Nidicolous, marine. Flightless, wings
transformed into rowing paddles. SPHENISCI, penguins. Antarctic and
southern temperate coasts. Since the Eocene.
4. Order Procellariiformes.--Well flying, pelagic, nidicolous. Hallux
absent or vestigial. Rhamphotheca compound. Cosmopolitan. TUBINARES,
petrels and albatrosses.
5. Order Ciconiiformes.--Swimmers or waders. Desmognathous, without
basipterygoid processes; with one pair of sterno-tracheal muscles.
Sub-order 1. STEGANOPODES.--Well flying, aquatic, nidicolous; with
all the four toes webbed together. Rhamphotheca compound;
cosmopolitan. _Phaethon_, tropic-bird; _Sula_, gannet;
_Phalacrocorax_, cormorant and _Plotus_, snake-bird; _Fregata_,
frigate-bird; Pelecanus. Here also _Pelagornis_, Miocene of France;
_Argillornis_ and probably _Odontopteryx_ from the London Clay.
Sub-order 2. ARDEAE.--Piscivorous, nidicolous, waders; with
complicated hypotarsus and with long cervical apteria. _Ardeidae_,
cosmopolitan; including _Cancroma_, Neotropical, _Balaeniceps,
Scopidae_, Ethiopian. _Proherodius_, Eocene of England.
Sub-order 3. CICONIAE.--Zoophagous, nidicolous, waders; with simple
hypotarsus and without cervical apteria. Cosmopolitan. _Ciconiidae_,
storks. _Ibidae_, ibises and spoonbills. _Propelargus_, Oligocene.
Sub-order 4. PHOENICOPTERI.--Flamingos. Nidifugous, waders; with
simple hypotarsus and without cervical apteria. Front toes
completely webbed; hallux very short or absent; feed chiefly on
small aquatic invertebrates. _Phoenicopterus_, cosmopolitan.
Oligocene _Elornis_ and, allied, _Palaelodus_.
6. Order Anseriformes.--Desmognathous, nidifugous; with two pairs of
sterno-tracheal muscles, with complete basipterygoid processes and
with a penis.
Sub-order 1. PALAMEDEAE.--Screamers. Ribs without uncinate
processes. Hypotarsus simple. Neotropical. _Chauna, Palamedea_.
Sub-order 2. ANSERES.--Family _Anatidae_. Hypotarsus complex.
_Anser, Anas, Cygnus_, since Miocene. _Cnemiornis_, Pleistocene, New
Zealand, flightless.
7. Order Falconiformes.--Birds of prey. Carnivorous, desmognathous,
nidicolous, without functional caeca. Terrestrial, aerial.
Sub-order 1. CATHARTAE.--American vultures. With nares perviae.
_Cathartes_, turkey buzzards, _Sarcorhamphus gryphus_, condor
_Gypagus papa_, king vulture.
Sub-order 2. ACCIPITRES.--With nares imperviae. _Serpentariidae_,
secretary-bird, Ethiopian; Miocene, France. _Vulturidae_, Old World
vultures, excluding Australia. _Falconidae_, cosmopolitan, since the
Eocene. _Harpagornis_, Pleistocene, New Zealand; _Lithornis_,
Eocene, England. _Pandionidae_, ospreys or fish hawks, cosmopolitan.
8. Order Tinamiformes.--Nidifugous, with incisura ischiadica, without
pygostyle. Herbivorous, terrestrial, neotropical. _Crypturi_,
tinamous.
9. Order Galliformes.--Schizognathous, herbivorous, terrestrial. With
ten functional remiges. With strong spinae sterni.
Sub-order 1. MESITES.--Without basipterygoid processes, and with
large spina interna. _Mesites_, Madagascar.
Sub-order 2. TURNICES.--Hemipodes or button-quails. Nidifugous;
vomer large; sternum without processus obliqui. Hallux absent or
vestigial. Old World. _Turnix, Pedionomus_.
Sub-order 3. GALLI.--With large spina communis, and with large
processus obliqui. Hallux functional. _Megapodiidae_, Australian
region. _Cracidae_, curassows and guans, neotropical. _Gallidae_,
cosmopolitan.
Sub-order 4. OPISTHOCOMI.--Arboreal, with long spina externa;
without basipterygoid processes. _Opisthocomus_ hoatzin, Guiana,
Venezuela and Amazon countries.
10. Order Gruiformes. Legs of the wading type. Without basipterygoid
processes. Without spina interna. Nidifugous. Essentially
Schizognathous. _Rallidae_, cosmopolitan, since Oligocene. _Rallus,
Fulica, Ocydromus, &c., Gallinula nesiotis_, Tristan d'Acunha,
flightless. _Notornis_, New Zealand, flightless, nearly extinct.
_Aptornis_, New Zealand, flightless, extinct. _Aphanapteryx_
(Mauritius) = _Erythromachus_ (Rodriguez) = _Diaphorapteryx_ (Chatham
Island), flightless and recently extinct. _Gypsornis_, upper Eocene,
France. _Gruidae_, cranes, cosmopolitan, allied _Phororhacos_,
Tertiary of Argentina. _Dicholophidae_, cariamas, neotropical.
_Otididae_, bustards, Old World. _Rhinochetidae_, kagus, New
Caledonia. _Eurypygidae_, sun-bittern, neotropical. _Heliornithidae_,
finfoots, tropical.
11. Order Charadriiformes.--Schizognathous. With eleven remiges, of
which the terminal very short. Aquinto-cubital. Spinae sterni short,
separate.
Sub-order 1. LIMICOLAE.--Nidifugous, without spina interna sterni.
Hypotarsus complicated. _Charadriidae_, plovers. _Chionididae_,
sheath-bill. _Glareolidae_, wading swallows and coursers.
_Thinocorythidae_, seed-snipes. _Oedicnemididae_, thick-knees.
_Parridae_.
Sub-order 2. LARI.--Aquatic, vomer complete. Without basipterygoid
processes. Front toes webbed; hallux small or absent. Large
supraorbital glands. Since Miocene. _Laridae_, gulls, cosmopolitan.
_Alcidae_, auks, northern half of periarctic region.
Sub-order 3. PTEROCLES.--Sand-grouse. Nidifugous. Vomer vestigial.
With large crop and caeca. Hallux vestigial or absent since
Oligocene. Africa to India, and Siberia. _Pterocles_ and
_Syrrhaptes_.
Sub-order 4. COLUMBAE.--Pigeons. Nidicolous. Vomer vestigial. With
large crop, vestigial caeca. _Columbidae_, cosmopolitan, since
Miocene. _Dididae_, flightless, recently extinct. _Didus_, dodo,
Mauritius. _Pezophaps_, solitaire, Rodriguez.
12. Order Cuculiformes.--Desmognathous, nidicolous; zygodactylous, or
with the outer toe reversible.
Sub-order 1. CUCULI.--Cuckoos. Quinto-cubital. _Cuculidae_,
cosmopolitan. _Musophagidae_, plantain-eaters and touracos,
Ethiopian since Miocene.
Sub-order 2. PSITTACI.--Parrots. Zygodactylous; aquinto-cubital.
Cosmopolitan, chiefly tropical. _Trichoglossidae_, lories,
Austro-Malayan. _Nestor_, New Zealand. _Cyclopsittacus, Eos,
Lorius_, &c. _Psittacidae_, tongue smooth, incl. _Stringops_.
13. Order Coraciiformes.--Nidicolous. Nares imperviae, holorhinal.
Downs restricted to the apteria or absent. Thirteen to fifteen
cervical vertebrae. Mostly desmognathous. Deep plantar tendons
connected with each other.
Sub-order 1. CORACIAE.--Either (1) with long spina externa sterni,
_Coraciidae_, rollers, Old World. _Momotidae_, neotropical, motmots
and todies. _Alcedinidae_, kingfishers, cosmopolitan or (2) with
long spina communis. _Meropidae_, bee-eaters, Old World. _Upupidae,
Upupinae_, hoopoes: palaearctic and palaeotropical. _Bucerotinae_,
hornbills, palaeotropical; _Irrisorinae_, woodhoopoes, Ethiopian.
Sub-order 2. STRIGES.--Owls. Outer toe reversible. Schizognathous.
Long caeca. Flexor tendons normal. Hypotarsus simple. Cosmopolitan.
Sub-order. 3. CAPRIMULGI.--Nightjars. Nocturnal. With gaping mouth.
Ten remiges and ten rectrices. Spinae sterni vestigial. Caeca
functional. _Steatornithidae, Steatornis_, oil-bird or guacharo,
South America. _Podargidae_, Australasian, _Caprimulgidae_,
cosmopolitan.
Sub-order 4. CYPSELI.--Tenth terminal remex the longest. With short
spinae sterni. Without caeca. _Cypselidae_, swifts, cosmopolitan.
_Trochilidae_, humming-birds, American.
Sub-order 5. COLII.--Mouse-birds. First and fourth toes reversible.
Ethiopian.
Sub-order 6. TROGONES.--Trogons. Heterodactyle, first and second
toes directed forwards, third and fourth backwards. Tropical.
_Trogon gallicus_, Miocene of France.
Sub-order 7. PICI.--Zygodactylous. Tendon of the flexor hallucis
longus muscle sending a strong vinculum to that of the flexor
profundus muscle, the tendon of which goes to the third toe only.
_Galbulidae_, puff-birds and jacamars, neotropical. _Capitonidae_,
barbets, tropical. _Rhamphastidae_, toucans, neotropical. _Picidae_,
woodpeckers, cosmopolitan, excepting Madagascar and Australian
region.
14. Order Passeriformes.--Nidicolous. Aegithognathous, without
basipterygoid processes. Spina externa sterni large, spina interna
absent. Quinto-cubital, toes normal. Apparently since the upper
Eocene.
Sub-order 1. PASSERES ANISOMYODAE.--Syrinx muscles entirely lateral
or attached to the dorsal or ventral corners of the bronchial
semi-rings, (1) _Subclamatores_. Deep plantar tendons connected by a
vinculum. _Eurylaemidae_, broadbills, Indian and Indo-Malayan. (2)
_Clamatores_. Deep flexor tendons not connected. _Pittidae_,
palaeotropical. _Xenicidae_, New Zealand. _Tyrannidae_, American,
_Formicariidae_, _Pteroptochidae_, neotropical.
Sub-order 2. PASSERES DIACROMYODAE.--Syrinx muscles of either side
attached to the dorsal and ventral corners of the rings. Hallux
strong, with a large claw, (1) _Suboscines_ with _Menura_,
lyre-bird, and _Atrichia_, scrub-bird, in Australia. (2) _Oscines_,
the true singing-birds, with more than 5000 recent species, are
mostly divided into some thirty "families," few of which can be
defined.
The fourteen orders of the Carinatae are further congregated into four
"Legions":--
I. COLYMBOMORPHAE = Ichthyornithes + Colymbiformes + Sphenisciformes +
Procellariiformes.