6 cichlomoki-H-t:. 



Order PASSERIFORMES. 



Group II. CICHL0M0RPHJ5. 



Wing with ten primaxies, the first more or less markedly reduced 

 in size ; angle of the chin shortened, and not reaching as far as the 

 line of the anterior margin of the nostril ; claw of middle toe oblique ; 

 rictal bristles generally present. 



Bill notched or grypanian (llliger), i. e. with the culmen nearly 

 straight, bent at the end in an arched curve, acuminate, generally 

 incised at the sides ; nostrils placed low, nearer to the cutting-edge 

 of the mandible than the culmen. 



Cf. Sundevall, Av. Meth. Tent. p. 3. 



With the present group commences an account of the Thrush-like 

 Passeres, the difficulties in classifying which are not likely to be 

 exaggerated by any one who attempts the task. As already stated 

 in this work, the system of classification here adopted is founded on 

 that of the late Prof. Sundevall, who, however, admits (Av. Meth. 

 Tent. p. Iviii) that the divisions he proposes for the Cichhmorphce 

 are purely artificial. I have endeavoured to modify his arrange- 

 ment ; but in attempting to draw a hard-and-fast line between 

 groups which nature has connected by intermediate forms, the 

 difficulty of dealing with the connecting links has to be faced. I 

 have preferred to accept a line which is capable of definition, even 

 in cases where forms, apparently nearly allied, must be separated, 

 being convinced that any line, wherever drawn, must be open to the 

 same objection. In cases where two great groups are separated by 

 both internal and external characters, and the connecting forms 

 exhibit the internal characters of the one along with the external 

 characters of the other, it seems to me that, in a classification of birds' 

 skins in a museum it is obvious that the intermediate forms should 

 be thrown into the series with which they correspond in external 

 characters. The second great difficulty which I have had to meet 

 has been that of bringing groups of birds having lateral affinities to 

 adjacent groups into a linear arrangement — a difficulty similar to that 

 of attempting to make such a list of the countries of Europe as shall 

 place them correctly in geographical relation to each other. It is ob- 

 vious that this can only be done by occasionally making a fresh start. 



The characters here given, therefore, to the Turdiform families, 

 which appear to follow one another in a natural sequence, cannot 

 be considered exhaustive, but represent those which seem to me the 

 salient points peculiar to each. 



Si/>iopsis of Families. 



A. Shafts of rump-feathers stiffened : plu- 

 mage soft ; bill rather stout, rather 

 widened at the base, the nostrils hidden 

 by nasal plumes CampophagidSB, p. 7. 



