330 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



KEY TO THE FAMILIES OF MESOMYODI. 



a. Syrinx bronclio-tracheal (typically Passerine). {Haploophonae.O') 



h. Syringeal muscles anacromyodous (the vocal muscles inserted on the dorsal end 

 of the bronchial semirings); tarsal envelope exaspidean^; middle toe coherent 

 with outer toe for not more (usually less) than its basal phalanx, to inner toe for 

 less than its basal phalanx. 

 c. Bill cuneate, acute, the tip of maxiUa not at all uncinate; nostril narrow, over- 

 hung by a broad corneous operculum; feet stouter, with basal ])elnia of middle 



toe narrow and convex Oxyruncidae (p. 332) 



cc. Rill not cuneate nor acute (usually more or less depressed), with tip of maxilla 

 more or less uncinate; nostril roundish, nonoperculate, or if narrow and 

 operculate the operculum membraneous; feet weaker, with V)asal pelma of 



middle toe more or less expanded and flattened Tyrannidae (p. 335) 



66. Syringeal muscles catacromyodous (the vocal muscles inserted on llic ventral end 

 of the bronchial semirings); tarsal envelope not exaspldean, or else (Pipridse) 

 the middle toe coherent with outer toe for more than its basal phalanx, or 

 else (genus Piprites) coherent with inner toe for whole of its basal phalanx. 

 c. Temporal fossae normally Passerine. 

 d. Intrinsic muscles normally catacromyodous; tongue not penicillate. 

 e. Rectrices 12; bill not subulate nor acute; tarsal envelope not fused. 

 /. Heteromerous (the main artery of thigh femoral ).c 



g. Tarsal envelope exaspidean (as in Tyrannidae and Oxyruncidae); sec- 

 ond phalanx of middle toe partly (sometimes wholly) coherent with 

 outer toe, or else (geniis Piprites) the first phalanx wholly coherent 



with inner toe Pipridae (p. 723) 



gg. Tarsal envelope not exaspidean (pycnaspidean.d holaspidean.d or 



modified taxaspidean,)d; second phalanx of middle toe wholly free 



from outer toe (or else, in genus Pha'nidrcus, inner side of tarsus 



feathered), never wholly adherent to inner toe. .Cotingidse ("p. 769) 



ff. Homoeomerous (the main artery of thigh sciatic). f 



g. Bill compressed, with smooth toniia; head with a conspicuous, 

 compressed, semicircular bilateral crest; outermost primary 

 abruptly attenuated at tip; inner secondaries abnormally 

 broad, truncated Rupicolidae (extralimital)/ 



a <COligomyodse Huxley, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1867, 471 (includes Desmodactyli). 

 =Oligomyodi Garrod, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1876, 517. 



>i/apZoo/j/io/ia? Garrod, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1876. 517, 518 (comprises Tyran- 

 nidae, Rupicolidae, and Pittidae). — Forbes, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond.. 1880. 

 389-391 (adds Philepittidae and Acanthisittidae). 

 = Tyrannoidese Stejneger, Standard Nat. Hist., iv. 1885, 460, 463. 

 y-Tyranniddd Gadow, Bronn's Thier-Reich, Vogel, ii, 1893, 276, 301 (comprises 



Tyrannidae, Oxyruncidae, Pipridae, Cotingidae. and Rupicolidae). 

 y-Tyranninse Gadow, Bronn's Thier-Reich, Vogel, ii, 1893, 276 (comprises 



Tyrannidae, Oxyruncidae, and Pipridae). 

 y-Homceomeri Garrod, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1876, 517, 518 (excludes Cotingidae 

 and Pipridae). 

 6 See p. 328. 



c Comprising Garrod 's group Heteromeri (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1876. 517. 518). 

 d See p. 328. 



eThe Rupicolidae, Tyrannidae, and Pittidae together constitute Garrod's group 

 Homccmneri as distinguished from his Heteromeri, the latter comprising only Pipridae 

 and Cotingida?. (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1876, 517, 518.) 



fRupicolinas Sclater (represented only by the genus Rupicola Brisson, peculiar to 

 northern and western South America). 



