Page:EB1911 - Volume 22.djvu/935

Rh the power of flight. This has been settled by M. Fürbringer (Untersuchungen . . . 1888), and there is now no doubt that the absence of the power of flight is a secondary, not primitive, feature in the Ratitae as well as in the flightless bona fide Carinatae, e.g. Didus, and penguins. It had already been understood that the various genera of the Ratitae were the representatives of so many different groups, each of which was at least equivalent to ordinal rank, and that therefore, if the Ratitae were still to. be considered a natural group, this common ancestry must be referred to a remote geological epoch. Fürbringer, however, separated Apzteryx with Dinornis from the rest, combining his "Apteryges” with Crypturi and Galli as Alectorornithes, the latter being practically A. H. Garrod's Galliformes, of which his “ Struthiones” form part together with the Tinamidae or Crypturi. Relationship of this otherwise typically carinate, neotropical family with the Ratitae had already been insisted upon by T. H. Huxley; hence his term Dromaeognathae for the Crypturi. L. Stejneger (Standard Nat. Hist., iv., Boston, 1885) applied this term in a new wider sense to all the Ratitae, 'and recently W. P. Pycraft has revived this notion by his division of the Neornithes into Dromaeo- and Neognathae. At any rate we begin to see that some of the Ratitae, namely the Rheidae, may possibly be an early and then much modified offshoot of such of the Carinatae as are now represented by the Crypturi, whilst in another part of the world, and at a much later time, kiwis and moas have sprung from a somewhat more Galliform stock, which points to a descent from a still undivided Galliform-Tinamiform mass. Further, it is the opinion of competent ornithologists that there is affinity of the Australian emeus and cassowaries with the New Zealand moas and with the Malagasy Aepyornis. Struthio alone still stands aloof, possibly because it is the oldest and most specialized form. This genus was already typically developed in late Miocene times, and with a. very wide geographical distribution (see BIRD, Fossil), but of the affinities of the other mid- and early tertiary flightless birds we know nothing, and it must be emphasized that we should probably not be able to classify a truly ancestral Ratite, namely, a bird which is still to a certain extent carinate and not yet ratite. It is impossible to give a satisfactory diagnosis of such intermediate forms.

All the recent Ratitae still possess a considerable number of rather primitive characters, e.g. they are typically nidifugous; the simple structure of their neossoptiles; quintocubital; compound rhamphotheca; holorhinal nares imperviae; basipterygoid processes; simple articular facet of the quadrate; configuration of the palatal bones, including the large vomer; incisura ischiadica; simple hypo tarsus; the thigh muscles; the copulatory organ.

We restrict the origin of the Ratitae to that great branch of still primitive Carinatae which, after separation of the Ratitae, has further developed into the legion of the Alectoromorphae, notably Tinami- and Galliformes, together with still low Gruiformes (see BIRD, Classijicalion). From such a rudis indigeslaque moles, after it had attained an almost world-wide distribution, have arisen the various Ratitae, independently at various epochs and in various countries. Most of them are now restricted to widely separated countries of the southern hemisphere. Although loss of flight (correlated with more or less reduction of the wings and the sternal keel, and often compensated by stronger hind limbs) has occurred, and is still taking place in various groups of birds, it is quite impossible that a new Ratite can still come into existence, because the necessary primitive substratum, whence arose the true Ratitae, is no longer available. Consequently we are justified in retaining “Ratitae” in our classification, although they are a heterogeneous, not strictly monophyletic, assembly.

RATKE (RATCHIUS), WOLFGANG (1571–1635), German educationist, was born at Wilster, Holstein, on the 18th of October 1571, and educated at the university of Rostock. His system of education was based upon Bacon's philosophy, the principle being that of “ proceeding from things to names, ” from the particular to the general, and from the mother tongue to foreign languages. In 1618 he opened schools at Augsburg and elsewhere, but at Kothen difficulties with the clergy led to his imprisonment for eight months, and after starting another school at Magdeburg in 1620 which failed, he became a wanderer and died at Erfurt on the 27th of April 1635. His ideas were far in advance of his time, but he lacked executive ability.

RATLAM (or ), a native state of central India, in the Malwa agency. Area, 902 sq. m. Its territory is closely interlaced with that of Sailana. It is held as tributary to Sindhia; but in 1819 an arrangement was made by which Sindhia engaged never to send any troops into the country or to interfere with the internal administration, and in 1861 the tribute was assigned to the British government in part payment of the Gwalior contingent. The population in 1901 was 83,773, showing a decrease of 6% in the decade; estimated revenue, £34,000; tribute, £2850. The chief, whose title is raja, is a Rahtor Rajput of the Jodhpur family. The chief Sujjan Singh succeeded in 1893, and attained full powers in 1898. The town of Ratlam is 1577 ft. above sea-level. Pop. (1901) 36,321. It is a junction on the Rajputana-Malwa railway, and an important centre of trade, especially in opium.

RATNAGIRI, a town and district of British India, in the southern division of Bombay. The town is on the Seacoast, 136 m. S. of Bombay. Pop. (1901) 16,094. A leading industry is the sardine fishery, which usually takes place in January and February, and engages fleets of canoes.

The has an area of 3998 sq. m. It forms a strip between the western Ghats and the sea, and its general character is rugged; nearly all the fertile land lies on the banks of the streams which intersect the country. The coast, about 150 m. in length, is almost uniformly rocky and dangerous. At intervals of about 10 m. a river or bay opens, sufficiently large to form a secure harbour for native craft, and the promontories at the river mouths are almost invariably crowned with the ruins of an old fort. The rivers and creeks are generally navigable for about 20 m., and afford facilities for a coasting trade. At the beginning of British rule there were no roads, and traffic was confined to places where there was water carriage; but a network of roads has been made, opening communication by hill passes with the Deccan. Ratnagiri formed part of the dominions of the peshwa, and was annexed by the British government in 1818 on the overthrow of Baji Rao. In 1901 the population was 1,167,927, showing an increase of 6% in the decade. Ratnagiri is the home of the influential class of Chitpavan Brahmans. It also supplies factory hands to Bombay and sepoys to the native army.

 RATNAPURA (i.e. “The City of Gems”), the chief town in the province of Sabaragamuwa, Ceylon. It is the centre of a long established industry in digging for precious stones-rubies, sapphires, cat's-eyes, &c. There is also much rice and fruit cultivation and planting of tea in the district. Pop. of town (1901) 4084; of district 132, Q64.

BATON, a city and the county seat of Colfax county, New Mexico, U.S.A., in the N.E. part of the state, and about 193 m. by rail N.E. of Santa Fé. Pop. (1890) 1255; (1900) 3540 (337 foreign-born); (1910 census) 453Q. Raton is served by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé, the Saint Louis, Rocky Mountain & Pacific, and the Santa Fé, Raton & Eastern railways. The city lies immediately W. of the Raton Mountains, from which it derives its name, and has an elevation of 6400-6650 ft. above the sea. Among its institutions are a miners' hospital, maintained by the state, and a picturesque public park. The city lies within the Raton coal field, a southern continuation of the field of the same name in Colorado, and the richest coal producing area in New Mexico. In 1907 70% of the total coal product of New Mexico came from Colfax county, in which this field is situated. Ores of gold, silver and lead have been mined in Colfax county. South and east of the city there is good farming land. Raton is a place of railway origin, and owes its development to its extensive railway shops, as well as to the proximity of mines. It was incorporated in 1891.