178 Mr. P. L. Sclater on the Systematic Position of 



in Cymbii'hynchus, while they are feeble and weak in Peltops, as 

 in other Muscicapidse. The relegation oi Peltops to the Musci- 

 capidse also removes an anomaly in geographical distribution, it 

 being obviously strange that an otherwise exclusively Indo- 

 Malayan type, such as the Eurylsemidse, should have a single 

 outlier in New Guinea. 



Next, as regards the Eurylsemidse themselves. After the eli- 

 mination of Peltops, this group contains the genera Psarisomus, 

 Serilophus, Eurylamus, Corydon, Cymhirhynchus, and Calypto- 

 mena, all restricted to the Indian region. Dr. Jerdon (Birds of 

 India, i. p. 235) has given us a suggestive epitome of the various 

 opinions that have prevailed as to the position of this family in 

 the ' Systema Naturae/ He says : — " The real situation of the 

 Eurylaimi in a natural disposition of birds is somewhat uncer- 

 tain. Van der Hoeven places them at the end of the Caprimul- 

 gidge ; Gray as a subfamily of Coraciadse ; and Bonaparte also 

 locates them next to the Rollers. Horsfield joins them with the 

 Todies, to form a distinct family of the Fissirostres. Swainson 

 removes them from this tribe to the Fly-catchers. And Blyth 

 and Wallace class them with the Pipridae or Ampelidse." 



I am not aware that any one of the authors whose discordant 

 opinions are thus quoted has examined any part of the osseous 

 structure of the Eurylsemidge, without a knowledge of which it 

 is of course impossible to come to any certain conclusion as to 

 their true position. 



On turning for information on this subject to Blanchard's ex- 

 cellent (but, alas ! incomplete) memoir on theOsteology of Birds*, 

 we find that the sternum of Eurylcemus is truly Passerine, and 

 " resembles that of the Swallows.^^ An examination of a sternum 

 of Eurylamus javanicus in Lord Walden's collection quite con- 

 firms Professor Blanchard^s statement. As will be seen by the 

 outline given herewith (fig. 3), the sternum oi Ewylamus has 

 the characteristic form of the true Passeres, and is quite different 

 from that of Coracias (fig. 4) and Todus (fig. 1), with which it 

 has been most unnaturally associated. 



As to the exact place to be assigned to Eurylamus and its 

 allies in the great Passerine series, that is a subject for more 

 * Ann. d. Sc. Nat. Zool. xi. p. 110 (1859). 



