384 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 



catch at those of similarity, the progress of scientific ornitholooy 

 would be greatly accelerated - *. If Mr. Blvth^s contribution, 

 to natural history had been limited even to this single sentence 

 irrespective of his vast additions to its literature for the last forty 

 years he would still be entitled to the acknowledgments of 

 ornithologists; for his words are pregnant of much that yet 

 remains to be done ere the gleaners leave the field. 



In the obituary of the last Number of ' The Ibis ^ f Mr. George 

 Gray s worthy life's labours are commented on ; but the writer 

 en passant, gently touches on a peculiarity of the deceased most 

 uncommon in these days, " conciseness to a fault-the problem 

 and answer without the intermediate operations,'' &c. 



The above allusions to two experienced toilers in ornithology 

 practically suggest the course to be pursued in the present in- 

 vestigation, VIZ. a review of the osteological organization of the 

 Momotid^ in its completeness, with unbiased comparisons, 

 thus affording the data and their legitimate deductions. The uo-ly 

 barrier to some generalizations concerning groups is the scarcity 

 of dubious or transitionary forms. Hence the halting gait of 

 bird-lore m its anatomical phase, and hence the greater neces- 

 sity for trustworthy descriptive notices of single specimens or as 

 many of a sort as can be got together. My present subjects, 

 osteologically, are far more ample than those dealt with by pre- 

 vious wnters ; yet neither the bones of every species, nor of all the 

 genera, have I been able to lay hands on. That which I bring 

 forward, however, enables recognition of affinities to be traced. 



I. The Skull and Sternum o/Momotus lessoni. 

 Dealing with my material as it has come to hand, I may note 

 that the cranium of this species measures 2-Q inches Ion- If 

 this be divided into three segments, the anterior premaxillarv 

 comprises 1-5, the orbital 0-6, and the posterior brain-division 

 0"5 inch. 



From above the outline is long and conical, the lateral edges 

 of the beak, however, being just perceptibly concave. The 

 orbital emarginations are clean crescent-shaped sweeps the pos- 

 terior limb, mayhap, being a trifle the longer. The interorbital 

 * Mag. of Nat. Hist. 1838, vol. ii. p. 318. f Pp. 340-342. 



