File:Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of (14563914308).jpg

Identifier: keytonorthameric00coues (find matches)
Title: Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and Lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology: an outline of the structure and classification of birds; and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: Boston, Estes and Lauriat
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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omorphce of Huxley; the Gemitores of Macgillivray, orColumhce proper of most authors ; the Gyrantes of Bonaparte, plus Diduuculus; ColumhcE ofGarrod minus Pterocletes; Pullastrce of Liljeborg minus Cracidce and Megapodidce.) Skullschizognathous, schizorhinal; basipterygoids prominent; angle of mandible not produced;rostrum externally as above said. Sternum doubled-notched or notched and fenestrate, oneach side; pectoral crest of humerus salient, acute. Carotids two. Syringeal muscles onepair. Coeca coli small or wanting; gizzard muscular ; crop developed ; gall-bladder generallyabsent. Fourth glutseal muscle undeveloped; second pectoral specially inserted; ambieusnormally present, or wanting. Oil-gland nude, small, or wanting. Plumage without after-shafts. Feet insessorial; hallux normally insistent; tarsus normally scutellate. Rectricesnormally 12 or 14. (Rasorial tendency in more rectrices, hallux up. and tarsus reticulate.)Altricial; psiloptedic ; monogamous; eggs few. One family f
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Fig. 389. — European Ring Dove (Cb-lumba palumbus). (From Dixoru) 34. Family COLUMBID^:: Pigeons. The family is here taken to be co-extensive with thesuborder as defined. With one exception (Starnoenascyanocephala), all our species will be immediately recog-nized by their likeness to the familiar inmates of thedove-cot. One seemingly trivial circumstance is so con-stant as to become a good clue to these birds: the frontalfeathers do not form antiae by extension on either side ofthe culmen, but sweep across the base of the bill with astrongly convex outline projected on the culmen, thencerapidly retreating to the commissural point. The plumule-less plumage is generally compact, with thickened, spongyrhachis, the insertion of which will seem loose to one whoskins a bird of this family. The head is remarkablysmall; the neck moderate ; the body full, especially in thepectoral region. The wings are strong, generally length-ened and pointed, conferring a rapid, powerful, whistlingflight;

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