8 SHUFELDT — OSTEOLOGY OF THE CUCKOOS. [Jan. 4, 



second-named he said that they comprehended the great bulk of 

 the Order; "in all, about fifteen families, rather more than less. 

 They are only readily limited by exclusion of the characters of the 

 preceding and following groups. The sternum is usually notched 

 behind ; the syringeal muscles are two pairs at most. The feet are 

 generally short ; the disposition of the toes varies remarkably. In 

 the Colii dee, or colies, of Africa, all the toes are turned forward. 

 In the Trogonidce, the second toe is turned backward, so the birds 

 are zygodactyle, but in a different way from all others. Families 

 with the feet permanently zygodactyle in the ordinary way by re- 

 version of the fourth, or partially so, the outer toe being versatile, 

 are — the Cuculidce, or Cuckoos, with their near relatives the Indi- 

 catoridce or Guide-birds of Africa ; the Rhamphastidce, or Toucans, 

 confined to tropical America and distinguished by their enormous 

 vaulted bill ; the Musophagidce, Plaintain-Eaters or Touracos, of 

 Africa ; the Bucconidce and Capitonidce, or fissirostral and scansorial 

 Barbets of the New and chiefly of the Old World respectively; 

 and the Galbulidce, or Jacamars, of America. (The Cuculidce and 

 Musophagidce are by Garrod placed together with Gallinaceous 

 birds.) In the remaining groups, the toes have the ordinary posi- 

 tion, but sometimes offer unusual characters in other respects. 

 Thus in the Alcedinidce (Kingfishers), and Momotidce (Motmots or 

 Sawbills), the middle and outer toes are perfectly coherent for a 

 great distance, constituting the syngenesious, syndactyle or aniso- 

 dactyle foot. The Bucerotidce, or Hornbills, of the Old World, 

 characterized by an immense corneous process on the bill, are rela- 

 tives of the Kingfishers ; so are the Todidce, a group of small, 

 brightly-colored birds of Mexico and the West Indies. Other 

 forms, all Old World, are the Meropidce or bee-eaters, the Upupidce 

 or Hoopoes, and the Coraciidce or Rollers, with their allies the 

 Leptosomatidoz, of Madagascar." 



Garrod examined a good many Cuculine birds, and he divided 

 the Cuculidce into the Centropodince to contain the Ground Cuckoos, 

 and the Cuculince, or True Cuckoos. 1 Several years later I exam- 

 ined the structure of Geococcyx calif ornianus, and in the opinion I 



1 Garrod, A. H. Collected Scientific Papers, 1881, p. 220. This author 

 found the Cuculidce to possess the ambiens muscle, two carotids, a nude oil- 

 gland and caeca. The Centropodince have a formula AB. XY and the Cuculince, 

 A. XY. 



