306 NOTES ON THE ANATOMY OF BIRDS, 



and the outer side of the middle. The other, after passing under 

 the ligament which binds down the tendon of the tibialis anticus 

 to the tibia, divides into two branches, which again re-unite after 

 one of them has perforated the tendon of the tibialis anticus close 

 to its insertion ; the nerve then again divides into several twigs 

 of which one goes to supply the surface of the middle toe and the 

 outer surface of the second, a second supplies the adjacent sides 

 of the hallux and second, a third the inner side of the hallux and 

 the inner surface of the tarso-melatarsus, while a fourth turns 

 round the inner border of the latter bone and enters the sole. 



III. THE MYOLOGICAL ChAEACTEHS OF THE CoLTJMBID.fl2. 



It is only of very late years that the characters afforded by the 

 muscular system have been applied to throw light on the 

 classification of Birds. Wiedemann (Anatomic und NaturgcscliicJite 

 der Vogel, 1810.) was the first to call attention to some of the 

 differences to be observed in the myology of the different orders. 

 It was Prof. Sundewall, however, who first attempted to use the 

 characters afforded by the myology for the furtherance of 

 classification (Brit. Assoc. Report, 1855^. Following in his foot- 

 steps Mr. A. H. Garrod (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1873,y elaborated a 

 scheme of classification based upon a consideration of the 

 peculiarities exhibited by certain muscles of the thigh in the 

 various orders and families, shewing the occurrence or non- 

 occurrence of certain muscles of that region — posterior part of 

 the Tensor fascia', the Semitendinosus, Accessory Semitendinosus, 

 Semimembranosus, Ambicns (PectineusJ, Femoro. caudal (Adductor 

 JongusJ, and Accessory Femoro-caudal (Adductor brcrisj, — to be of 

 great importance in working out a natural system of classification. 

 The same author has also called attention in various memoirs 

 to many other important points in the nryology of the class.* 



* Vide, e.g., " On the Disposition of the Deep Plantar Tendons in Different 

 Birds," Proc. Zool. Soc 1875, p.p. 339—348 ; " On some points in the 

 Anatomy of the Columbre," P.Z.S., 1814 p.p. 249— 259. 



