28 PROCEEDIXGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 67 



organ. is formed exactly like that of the other Drepanididae." The 

 tongue of Hcmignathus olivaeeus is "short and less tubular, being 

 intermediate in structure and appearance between those of Him- 

 atione and Vestiaria. 



Psittirostra fsittacea (fig. 140) has a flat, fleshy tongue in which 

 the long, horny curled portion is absent. The tip is blunt and not 

 frayed. The appearance is almost exacth^ as if the tubular portion 

 of the tongue of Hemignathus lyrocerus had been cut away leaving 

 the basal uncurled portion. 



An entirely different arrangement is seen in the finchlike Tele- 

 spyza cantans, however (fig. 136). Here the entire tongue is thick 

 and fleshy, much as in some of the finches (compare Passerculus 

 rostratus^ fig. 137), with an uprolling of the thick margins to form 

 a fleshy rolled tubular tongue not at all the same in appearance or 

 arrangement as the tubular tongues of the foregoing forms, made 

 up, as they are, by a prolongation and curling of the natural thin 

 horny tip of the standard tongue. 



It is apparent, therefore, that in this family there is a wide range 

 in tongue forms, from which no reliable evidence as to relationship 

 is to be drawn, as is evidenced by the error made by Doctor Gadow 

 in the case of Loxioides. 



The Coerebidae have tongues tliat are curled, split, and frayed, 

 but not all to the same degree, and a fine series of modifications 

 can be traced through this family. Thus in Glossoptila {Euneornis) 

 campestris the tongue is practically flat in the posterior two-thirds. 

 The anterior third sliows a moderate upcurling of the lateral mar- 

 gins, with delicate fraying into a fringe tliat rolls inward but does 

 not meet the opposite side. The tip is bifid, thus converting this 

 portion into two ver}^ imperfect semitubular fringed projections. 

 Cyanerpes cyanea (fig. 138) has tlie anterior one-half curled in much 

 the same manner, while the tip may or may not be bifurcated. 



Cyanerpes lucidus shows very little fraying of the margins of 

 the tube, while C. caeruleus is deeph' cleft and fraj'ed. In Chloro- 

 phanes spiza (fig. 4) the tube is becoming more perfect by a close 

 approximation of the upcurled edges. Finally in Coereba Tjona- 

 rdvora (fig. 5) the edges completely overlap, forming a true tube 

 which by splitting becomes double tubes, the curling margins of 

 which are much fraj'ed. This same appearance is seen in Coereha 

 portoricens'is and DigJossa pluiiibea. the latter of which shoAvs a 

 surprisingly long tongue in comparison to the short bill. 



The Meliphagidae have elongate quadru]:»le tongues. The curled 

 tongue first splits into a right and left lialf with marked fraying 

 of the edges, forming tAvo fringed tubes, and these are again 

 deeply split and frayed, so that four elaborately frayed brushy tips 

 are formed. The whole oro-an is as lone; or longer than the bill. 



