Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 273 



much to form the roof of the mouth), are in Colius relatively 

 small. They may be spongy or slightly lamellar ; but this I can- 

 not aver with certainty from the condition of the specimen ; at 

 all events they intrude but a slight way beyond the palatal rods, 

 and leave a wide middle space betwixt them. As respects the 

 presence of a vomer, there is apparently a short one, tapering 

 rather than abruptly truncate anteriorly, and not visibly deeply 

 cleft behind. 



Lastly, the hinged beak is perforated by large and wide nasal 

 apertures, which extend well forwards ; the lachrymal or tear- 

 bone is nearly perpendicular, its inferior limb spongy ; and there 

 is no depending spicule or crotchet bone*, nor any backward 

 upper orbital process. 



IV. Structural Comparisons and Affinities. 



From the great majority of the Passeres (Coracomorphie of 

 Huxley) Colius is trenchantly separated by its possessing two pairs 

 of notches on the sides of the sternum. Neither is its sternal 

 manubrium deeply forked, nor do the pectoral plates correspond 

 in figure &c. to them. Even in Scytalopus and Pteropiochus, 

 aberrant Passerine genera, with four clefts and xiphoid processes, 

 these and the pectoral surfaces are very different from the Coly 

 type ; besides other details, their rostrum is deeply cleft. Phy- 

 totoma, though classed by some among the Musophagidse, 

 Blanchardf says has the sternum like those of the Finches. 



The wing-bones of Colius are relatively shorter and stouter 

 than those of the Finches, Larks, and Orioles it has been 

 associated with. In these latter and the Sparrow-tribe gene- 

 rally, six canals for the flexor tendons perforate the tarso-meta- 

 tarse ; their first toe is strong and turns backwards. The 

 Coly therein differs. 



By the non-truncation forwards and want of cleavage behind in 

 the vomer, by the diffei'encc in the maxillo -palatines (if I inter- 

 to the " antrum Higmori " of the human cheek-bones (Osteographische 

 Beitrage zur Naturgeschichte der Vogel, p. 26). 



* See paper by Prof. Reinhardt "Om en hidtil ukjendt knogle i Hoved- 

 skallen hos Turakoerne (Musophagides, Sunder. )," Copenhagen, 1871. 



t L. c. p. 90. 

 SER. III. VOL. II. X 



