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



a glance at it is sufficient to satisfy us that it stands, in so far as its 

 osteology is concerned, almost directly between the Centropodince 

 and the Cuculince. It will be seen from what has been shown 

 above that this is at variance with Dr. Sharpe's opinion. 



Beyond what I have hazarded in the concluding paragraphs of 

 this memoir then, in the way of suggestions as to the probable 

 affinity of some of the more typical Cuckoos with other birds, I 

 would not at the present time make or express any more decided 

 opinion. I feel that I ought to command a far wider knowledge of 

 the morphology of the entire group and several of the now-supposed 

 allied groups than I possess at this writing before doing so, or be- 

 fore that opinion would be of any value. 



Explanation of Plates. 



[All the figures in the Plates are from photographs made direct from the specimens 

 by the author. Figs, i to 6 inclusive in Plate I are of natural size, the material being 

 from the author's private collection. The figures of Plate II are all very slightly 

 reduced, and all in the same proportion. The skull shown in Fig. 7 is in the author's 

 cabinets, while all the others belong to the U. S. National Museum.] 



Plate I. 



FlG. i. Right lateral view of the skull and lower mandible of Geococcyx calif omi- 

 anus. Adult. 



Fig. 2. Inferior or basal view of the skull of Geococcyx calif or /tianus. Adult. 

 Different specimen from the one shown in Fig. 1. 



Fig. 3. Superior view of the mandible of Geococcyx calif omianus. Adult. Belongs 

 to the skull shown in Fig. 2 of this Plate. 



Fig. 4. Ventral aspect of the pelvis of Geococcyx calif omianus. Adult. Belonged 

 to the same individual that furnished the skull shown in Fig. 1 of this Plate. On 

 this pelvis the coccygeal vertebrae and pygostyle are attached in situ. 



FlG. 5. Superior aspect of the cranium of a subadult specimen of Geococcyx califor- 

 nianus, showing principally the frontal and parietal bones with the sutures 

 between them. The bones of the face and other elements have been removed. 



FlG. 6. External aspect of the left femur, fibula and tibio-tarsus of a subadult 

 specimen of Geococcyx calif omianus, from the same individual that furnished 

 the skull shown in Fig. 5. The femur is not placed in situ, its proximal end is 

 resting on the shaft of the tibio-tarsus, and in this figure we see the epiphysis on 

 the summit of the latter described in the text. 



Plate II. 



Fig. 7. Right lateral view of the skull and mandible of an adult specimen of the 



Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus). 

 Fig. 8. Right lateral view of the skull and detached mandible of an adult specimen 



of the Ani {Crotophaga sulcirostris). Spec. No. 61467 of the Coll. U. S.Nat. 



Museum. 



