450 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Superfamily ^VLOMiOTI. 

 THE MOTMOTS. 



>T'o(?i FuERBEiNGER, Unters. Morph. Syst. Vog., ii, 1888, 1567 (includes Todi). 

 '^Momotidae Gadow, in Bronn's Thier-Reich, Vog., ii, 1893, 229, 301 (includes 



Todij; Classif. Vertebr., 1898, 36. 

 = Momoti Sharpe, Rev. Classif. Birds, 1891, 81; Hand-list, ii, 1900, 76. 

 = Momotinae Gadow, Bronn's Thier-Reich, Vog., ii, 229, 301. 



Synpelmous, anisodactyle Coraciiformes with myological formula 

 AXY, basipterygoid processes and adult downs absent, two carotid 

 arteries, at least two of metasternal notches closed (converted into 

 foramina), caeca absent, oil-gland (if present) nude or tufted, tomia 

 serrated, no spinal apterium, and primaries 11. 



Palate desmognathous ; nares holorhinal, pervious or impervious; 

 vomer present; cervical vertebrae 15; complete ribs 3-4 pairs; 

 metasternum with 4 foramina or 2 notches and 2 foramina; spina 

 externa sterni present, bifid; spina interna absent; syrinx tracheo- 

 bronchial; tensor patagii brevis muscle present, biceps slip absent; 

 expansor secundariorum muscle present; feet anisodactyle, syn- 

 pelmous, the hallux connected with the flexor perforans digitorum 

 (flexor tendons of type V6); intestinal convolutions of type VI, 

 gall-bladder present; spinal pteryla well-defined on neck, not forked 

 on back; aftershaft present; oil gland (if present) may be either 

 nude or tufted; primaries 10; rectrices usually 10 (12 in genus 

 Momotus); tomia serrated. 



Family MOMOTID^. 



THE MOTMOTS. 



= Momotidse Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857, 248; Cat. Am. Birds, 1862, 

 261. — Gray, Hand-list, i 1869, 79. — Sclater and Salvin, Nona. Av. Neotr., 

 1873, 102.— Selys, Bull. Acad. Roy. Belgique, eer. 2, xlviii, 1879, 773.— 

 Stejneger, Stand. Nat. Hist., iv, 1885, 395, 397, in text.— Salvin and 

 Godman, Biol. Centr.-Am., Aves., ii, 1895, 454. — Beddard, Struct, and 

 Classif. Birds, 1898, 210.— Furbringer, Unters. Morph. Syst. Vog., ii, 1888, 

 1354, 1355, 1567.— Sharpe, Hand-list, ii, 1900, pp. xi, 76. 



= Mom.otinse Eyton, Osteol. Av., 1867, 59.— Gray, Hand-list, i, 1869, 79.— 

 Gadow, Bronn's Thier-Reich, Vog., ii, 1891, 229, 301. 



=Prionitidae Bonaparte, Prodr. Syst. Orn., 1840, 6; Consp. Av., i, 1850, 164.^- 

 Cabanis and Heine, Mus. Hein., ii, 1860, 112. 



=Pnonitinae Bonaparte, Prodr. Syst. Orn., 1840, 6.— Cabanis, Wiegmann's 

 Archiv fiir Naturg., 1847, pt. i, 342.— Sundevall, Met. Nat. Av. Disp. Tent., 

 ii, 1873, 94 (English translation, 1889, 175). 



The principal anatomical and a few of the external characters of 

 this family have been given above under the headmg of superfamily 

 Momoti. Additional external characters are as follows: 



Bill about as long as head, more or less (though sometimes very 

 slightly) decurved terminally, very variable as to relative width and 

 depth, the culmen indistinctly ridged to distinctly carinate; tomia 



