| OCR Text |
Show 238 DR. H. GADOW O N T H E [Mar. 15, 3. CASUARII. Australasian. Maxillo-palatines large, fused with vomer and premaxilla. Vomer long, articulating with palatines and pterygoids. Hallux absent. Front toes with claws, middle phalanges shortened. Procoracoid process small. Clavicles rudimentary. Tibia without bony bridge. Aftershaft very large. Caeca small, functional. 4. APTERYGES. New Zealand. Maxillo-palatines as in Casuarii, but vomer fused with palatines and pterygoids. All the four toes well developed, with claws. Procoracoid process rudimentary. No clavicles. Tibia with bony bridge over extensor tendons. Aftershaft absent. Caeca large. 5. DINORNITHES. New Zealand. Palate as in Casuarii. Hallux variable. Whole shoulder-girdle and wing fragmentary. Procoracoid process rudimentary. Tibia with bony extensor bridge. Aftershaft very large. 6. .EPYORNITHES. Madagascar. Hallux present. Tibia without bony extensor bridge. 2nd Division. NEORNITHES CARINATJE. This division comprises all those Neornithes to which the sum cf characters descriptive of the Ratitae does not apply. As a rule the Carinatae are described as birds possessed of a carina sterni; an acrocoracoid process ; separate scapulae and coracoids, which form an acute or a right angle ; complete furcula ; ischiadic foramen ; single-headed quadrate ; a vomer which is not fused with the neighbouring bones of the palate. The existence of such forms as Crypturi, Didus, Ocydrotnus, Strinyops, Hesperornis, &c, does not permit the employment of these characters to differentiate the Carinatae from the Ratitae. These are reasons sufficient to contest the validity of these two divisions, which are, however, retained more for the sake of convenience than on the ground of demonstrable facts. 7. COLYMBIFORMES. Cosmopolitan. Aquatic. Nidifugous. Zoophagous. Schizognathous. No basipterygoid process. Nares pervious. |
