20 PICO-PASSERES. 



Genus SERICULUS. 



Swainson, Zool. Journ. i. p. 478 (1825). 



Sericulus melinus. 



Tardus melinus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl. ii. p. xliv (1801). 

 Sericulus melinus, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vi. p. 395 (1881). 



The Eegent-bird. 



Hah. Australia. 



74. Sternum of female, with shoulder-girdle. Clarence River, 

 N. S. W. {E. P. Ramsay). S. S. 1078. 



Presented hy P. L. Sclater, Esq., F.R.S. 



Family STURNIDiE. 



A. Flexure of mandible below the naso-frontal suture. 



Cranial deficiency very large, and extending as far 

 forward as the somewhat narrow interorbital fenestra. 



B. Frontal and squamosal zygomatic processes only slightly 



developed. 



C. Palatines with the posterior extremity slightly prolonged. 



D. A marked backward prolongation of angular. 



Genus STURNUS*. 



Linnaeus, Syst. Xat. i. p. 291 (1766). 



Fig-. 14. 



I'of sof f.:p s.zp 



Lateral view of skull of Sturnus vulgaris. — io.f., interorbital fenestra ; 

 so.f., supraorbital fenestra; /.-.p., frontal zygomatic process; s.z.p., 

 squamosal zygomatic process; a, backward prolongation of mandible. 



* " That part of the Passerine palatine which is arrested from forming a 

 bony palatal floor generally exists as a free fore-looking spine. This is well 

 seen in the Sparrow ; it is the interpalatine process. ... In Ducks and Swans 

 this is a separate knuckle of bone ; and in looking over a large number of 

 Starling skulls, I find it in certain of them." {Parker, Trans. Linn. Soc. (2) 

 Zool. V. pt. 1, pi. .XX. fig. 12.) An examination of a skull of aS*. vulgaris 

 which Professor Stewart has recently made proves that Stnrnus also pos- 

 sesses the bony siphoninm. 



