. Natural history. Zoology. '--m 332 AVES—ORDER CORACIIFORMES. The Pioarian Birds.—Order Co7-acii/ormes. February, and the young birds are found in March. At present (1884) the bird is known only to exist in the Middle Island of New Zealand, on the West Coast, between Chalky Harbour and Jackson's Bay, and in the Northern Island, about the sources of the Waganui, and in part of the Taupo countries. It was, within the recollection of the old people, abundant in every part of New Zealand ; and they say it has been exterminated by the cats introduced by the Europeans, which are now found wild and
. Natural history. Zoology. '--m 332 AVES—ORDER CORACIIFORMES. The Pioarian Birds.—Order Co7-acii/ormes. February, and the young birds are found in March. At present (1884) the bird is known only to exist in the Middle Island of New Zealand, on the West Coast, between Chalky Harbour and Jackson's Bay, and in the Northern Island, about the sources of the Waganui, and in part of the Taupo countries. It was, within the recollection of the old people, abundant in every part of New Zealand ; and they say it has been exterminated by the cats introduced by the Europeans, which are now found wild and in great numbers in every part of the country. They say also that the large rat introduced from Europe has done its part in the work of destruction. The natives assert that, when the breeding season is over, the Kakapo lives in societies of five or six in the same hole, that it is a provident bird, and lays up in the fine season a store of fern roots for the bad ; This large order contains a number of sub-orders, which will be treated of below in detail. They are very different in outward form from each other as well as in habits and in structure, but they have one striking character in common, which separates them from the Perching birds or Paaseriformes, and that is the arrangement of the deep plantar tendons of the foot. In the Picarian birds the hallux or hind toe is connected with the flexor perforans digitorum and not with the ^xor longus halliKis. In all other birds an exactly opposite arrangement takes place. These curious birds cannot be reckoned to be Nightjars, although they have the outward appearance of being members of the latter group. Their habits are crepuscular like those of the Caprimulgidce, but there are many characters -which show that they are not true Nightjars, but constitute a sub-order apart. They lay white eggs, which no Nightjar ever does, the sternum has two notches on its hinder margin, and there are other osteological features wh
Size: 2172px × 1151px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorly, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
