NEORNITHES

the odontolcae seem to be an early specialized offshoot of the colymbo pelargomorphous brigade, while the ratitae represent a number of side branches of early alectoromorphae. the ratitae branched off, probably during the eocene period, from that still indifferent stock which gave rise to the tinami + galli + gruiformes, when the members of this stock were still in possession of those archaic characters which distinguish ratitae from carinatae. it follows that new groups of ratitae can no longer be developed since there are no carinatae living which still retain so many low characters, e.g. configuration of the palate, precoracoid, pelvis, intestinal convolutions, copulatory organ, &c. loss of the keel is co-ordinated with the power of using the forelimbs for locomotion; although a "ratite" character, it is not sufficient to turn a _notornis, cnemiornis_ or _stringops_, not even a _phororhacos_ into a member of the ratitae. another branch of the alectoromorphae, in particular of the galliformes, when these were still scarcely separated from the gruiformes, especially rail-like birds, leads through opisthocomi to the cuculiformes. these are, again in an ascending direction, connected with the coraciiformes, out of which have arisen the passeriformes, and these have blossomed into the oscines, which, as the apotheosis of bird life, have conquered the whole inhabitable world. (h. f. g.) footnotes: [1] treviranus, _biologie oder philosophie der lebenden natur_, vol. ii. cap. 4, sec. 2 (goettingen, 1803). [2] f. tiedemann, _anatomie und naturgeschichte der voegel_, vol. ii sec.sec. 127-255 (heidelberg, 1814). [3] l.k. schmarda, _die geographische verbreitung der thiere_ (wien, 1853). [4] p.l. sclater on the general geographical distribution of the members of the class "aves," 2. _linn. soc._ ii. pp. 130-145, 1858. [5] a.r. wallace, _the geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations of living and extinct faunas as elucidating the past changes of the earth's surface_, 2 vols. (london, 1876). [6] t.h. huxley, "on the classification and distribution of the alectoromorphae," _p.z.s._, 1868, pp. 313-319. [7] the following old-fashioned rough computation may serve as an indication of the relative size of the orders and suborders of recent birds:-- ratitae 20 charadriiformes 650 (incl. columbae colymbiformes 20 350) sphenisciformes 15 cuculiformes 600 (incl. psittaci procellariiformes 90 400) ciconiiformes 150 coraciiformes 1600 (incl. trochili anseriformes 150 and pici) falconiformes 360 passeres clamatores 1000 tinamiformes 40 passeres oscines 5000 galliformes 370 ------ gruiformes 250 total about 10,300 species