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



The femur is about one third shorter, and more slender than 

 the humerus. The tibia is not equal to the ulna in stoutness 

 of shaft ; but its ends are quite as large. The tibial crest is short, 

 sharp, knife-like, and moderately prominent. The external tu- 

 berosity is fair-sized, and hides the bead of the fibula as looked 

 at from the front. The fibula is short, and its lower half rests 

 against a compressed ridge of bone outstanding from the upper 

 end of the tibial shaft. There is a small bridge of bone between 

 the inferior condyles of the ulna, and through which the ex- 

 tensor tendons pass. The tarso-metatarse (fig. 43) has a tri- 

 angular shaft of goodly extent. The bifid or deeply grooved 

 calcaneal process possesses but a single perforation for the pas- 

 sage of the flexor tendons. The grooving of the shaft on the 

 inner side of this is large and deep ; and the anterior fluting of 

 the upper half of the bone forms also a considerable impression. 

 As regards the three inferior knuckles, they are parallel, and 

 the middle descends a shade the lowest. The metatarsal element 

 of the tarso-metatarse is short, stout, and pyriform. The toe- 

 bones have the usual numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5. The phalanges 

 sensibly shorten distally. 



The measurements, &c., of the limb-bones are as under 

 noted : — 



Momotus [Baryphthcngns) rujicapillus. 



Without wishing to tire by too long and dry detail, I never- 

 theless insert here a series of calculations of the proportional 

 long diameters of the wing- and leg- bones. In my paper on the 

 Green Tody, T. viridis (P. Z. S. 1872), I endeavoured to show in 

 what respect that long- shanked bird bore consanguinity to the 

 Motmots and Kingfishers. In so doing I necessarily laid some 

 stress on the tarsal elongation and other limb-peculiai-ities. I 



