Some of the members of this group are known to all; indeed, when you have finished reading this lecture, I expect to have created in your mind an idea that bird study is very simple--that you know at least one of each of the groups of birds. One further advantage of bird study is that so few birds are found in any district. Thus, only 880 birds have ever been recorded from Australia, whereas there are over 9,000 kinds of native flowering plants, not to mention non-flowering plants. In very few districts could a list of 100 different kinds of birds be compiled in one year. Again, while it is impossible to talk popularly of native plants, because they have no common names, that does not apply to birds, for bird-lovers have given a simple name to each bird. Even children, therefore, can talk definitely and exactly about the different kinds. This is a great advantage. Again, as birds are living, moving, loving, and beautiful animals, they have always been favorite objects of study, and so we know more about them than about any other division of the animal kingdom. Thus you will, I hope, find that you know far more about the subject than you at first thought. ==== [Page 18b] ORDER V.--RALLIFORMES. F. 22. RALLIDAE (16), RAILS, 204 sp.--68(60)A., 37(18)O., 18(0)P., 37(24)E., 17(7)Nc., 72(65)Nl. 4 17 =20 Slate-breasted Rail= (Short-toed), Lewin Water-Rail, _Eulabeornis (Hypotaenidia) brachypus_, A., T., Auckland Is. =vt. Eur. Water-Rail. [~20 _Rallus pectoralis._] Stat. r. _rivers_, _lagoons_ 8.5 Upper blackish striped olive; wings, flanks, abdomen barred black, white; throat, breast, slate-gray; f., duller. =21* Pectoral Rail=, Landrail, _E. philippinensis_, Malay Arch. to A., N.Z., Pac. Is. =vt. Eur. Corn-Crake (Landrail); f., young sim. Insects, grass. Mig. c. _grassy_ 10.5 Upper brown spotted white; under finely-barred black; white; sandy-buff bar on chest; light stripe above eye. 4 17 =22* Australian Spotted Crake=, Water-Crake, _Porzana fluminea_, A. =vt. Eur. Spotted Crake. Stat. r. _rivers_ 7 Upper dark-brown, spotted white; abdomen, flanks blackish barred white; breast gray; swims; f., sim. Insects. [Illustration: [21] [22] [26] [27] [30] [67] [71] [72] [73]] =21= Pectoral Rail =22= Australian Spotted Crake =26= Black Moor-Hen =27= Bald Coot =30= Hoary-headed Grebe =67= Crested Tern =71= White-faced Ternlet =72= Silver Gull =73= Pacific Gull [Page 22] [Illustration: [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]] =23 Australian Little Crake=, _P. palustris_, A. =vt. Eur. Little Crake. Stat. r. _river_, _reed-beds_ 6 Upper rusty-brown; throat, breast gray; crown blackish; flanks, lower-abdomen barred black, white; swims, dives; f., sim. Water-animals. [Page 23]