INTRODUCTION gi 



that among students of Ornithology has rarely been equalled and perhaps 

 never surpassed. The present writer finds it difficult to treat of the 

 labours of two pupils and friends, for while fully recognizing the brilliant 

 nature of some of their researches, he is compelled very frequently to 

 dissent from the conclvisions at which they arrived, deeming them to 

 have often been of a kind that, had their authors survived to a maturer 

 age, they would have greatly modified. Still he well knows that learners 

 are mostly wiser than their teachers ; and, making due allowance for the 

 haste with which, from the exigencies of the post they successively held, 

 their investigations had usually to be published, he believes that much of 

 the highest value underlies even the crudest conjectures contained in their 

 several contributions to Ornithology. Putting aside the monographical 

 papers by which each of them followed the excellent example set by their 

 predecessor in the office they filled — Dr. Murie ^ — and beginning with 

 Garrod's,^ those having a more general scope, all published in the 

 Zoological Society's Proceedings, may be briefly considered. Starting 

 from the level reached by Huxley, the first attempt made by the younger 

 investigator was in 1873, " On the value in Classification of a Peculiarity 

 in the anterior margin of the Nasal Bones in certain Birds." Herein he 

 strove to prove that Birds ought to be divided into two Subclasses — one, 

 called " HoLORHiNAL," in which a straight line drawn transversely across 

 the hindmost points of the external narial apertures passes in front of the 

 posterior ends of the nasal processes of the preemaxillse, and the other, 

 called " ScHizoRHiNAL," in which such a line passes behind those processes. 

 If this be used as a criterion, the validity of Huxley's group Schizognathse 

 is shaken ; but there is no need to enlarge upon the proposal, for it was 

 virtually abandoned by its author within little more than a twelvemonth. 

 The next subject in connexion with Systematic Ornithology to which 

 Garrod applied himself was an investigation of the Carotid Arteries, and 

 here, in the same year, he made a considerable advance upon the labours 

 of Nitzsch, as might well be expected, for the opportunities of the latter 

 were very limited, and he was only able, as we have seen (page 55), to 

 adduce four types of structure in them, while Garrod, with the superior 

 advantages of his situation, raised the number to six. Nevertheless he 

 remarks that their " disi^osition has not much significance among Birds, 

 there being many Families in which, whilst the majority of the species 

 have two, some have only one carotid." The exceptional cases cited by 

 him are quite sufficient to prove that the condition of this artery has 

 nearly no value from the point of view of general classification (c/. pages 

 76, 77). If relied upon it would split up the Families Bncerotidae, and 



^ Dr. Murie's chief papers having a direct bearing on Systematic Ornithology 

 are: — in the Zoological Society's Transactions (vii. p. 465), 'On the Dermal and 

 Visceral Structures of the Kagu, Sun-Bittern and Boatbill ' ; in the same Society's 

 Proceedings — (1871, p. 647) 'Additional Notice concerning the Powder-Downs of 

 Rhinochetus jubatus\ (1872, p. 664) 'On the Skeleton of Todus with remarks as to 

 its Allies', (1879, p. 552) 'On the Skeleton and Lineage of Fregilupus varius' ; in 

 The lbis~{\872, p. 262) 'On the genus Colius', (1872, p. 383) 'Motmots and their 

 affinities', (1873, p. 181) 'Relationships of the Upupid^.' 



^ Garrod's Scientific Papers were collected and published in a memorial volumo 

 edited by Forbes in 1881. There is therefore no need to give a list of them here. 

 Forbes's papers were similarly edited by Mr. Beddard in 1885. 



