THE SWIFTS. 37 



feathers instead cf twelve. The breast-bone is veiy small, and 

 has a high keel, indic.itive of a powerfully-developed pectoral 

 muscle, and the hinder margin is one-notched. 



Then, again, the bones of the wing in the S»vift are peculiar, 

 the humerus being very short, the fore-arm being longer, and 

 the bones of the manus extremely long. 



These are some of the most striking differences between the 

 Swifts and the Swallows, and there arc numerous others which 



/A. 

 Wing-bones of Hinindo nistica, 



have been described by Parker, Shufeldt, Lucas, Ridgway, 

 and other competent anatomists. In their aegithognathous 

 palate there is strong fundamental evidence that they cannot 

 be placed far from the Passerine Birds in the natural system, 

 and the Swallows are doubtless their nearest allies in the latter 

 Order. 



Mr. Ernst Hartert, who is the latest exponent of the classi- 

 fication of the CypselidcE (Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 434-518), 



Wing- bones of MicTopus apiis. 



divides the Family into three Sub families : the CypseU?ice, or 

 True Swifts, with feathered toes and only three phalanges to 

 the outer and middle toes ; the ChcJitiirincE, or Spine-tailed 

 Swifts, with the toes unfeathered, and four phalanges to the 

 outer and middle toes, the tail short and exceeded by the wings; 

 and finally, the Tree Swifts {Macropterygiiice\ with a lo*iig 

 forked tail, not exceeded by the wing. It is not, however, 

 necessary to enter further into the differences of the three 



