1058 



ZYGODACTYLI 



Z. capensis have been succinctly treated by Jerdon (B. Inch ii. p. 266) 

 and Mr. Layard {B. S. Afr. p. 116) respectively.^ 



The affinities of the genus Zosterops .are by no means clear. 

 Placed by some writers, with the Parida3 (Titmouse), by others 

 among the Meliphagidx (Honey-EATEr), and again by others with 

 the Nedariniidge (Sunbird), the structure of the tongue, as Dr. 

 Gadow {Proc. Zool. Soc. 1883, pp. 63, 68, pi. xvi. fig. 2) shews, 

 Avholly removes it from the first and third, and from most of the 

 forms generally included among the second. It seems safest to 

 regard the genus, at least provisionally, as the type of a distinct 

 Family — Zosteropidse — as Families go among Passerine birds ; but, 

 whether the Australian genera MeUthreptus and PJedrorhamplms 

 (otherwise Pledrorhyncha) should be included under that heading, as 

 has been done, remains to be proved, and in the meanwhile may be 

 reasonably doubted. 



ZYGODACTYLI, Vieillot's name in 1816 (Analyse, p. 25) for 

 the birds having two toes before and two behind, which he placed 



as the First " triinc " of his Second Order, and thus made the group 

 practically equal to Illiger's ScANSORiiS, being composed of 7 

 Families — (1) Psittacini, with the genera Psittacus, Macrocercus and 

 Plydolophns ; (2) Macroglossi, with Picus and Yunx ; (3 and 4) 

 Aurcoli and Pteroglossi, consisting respectively of Galbula and Pa7n- 

 phastos ; (5) Barbati, made up of Trogon, Pogonia, Bucco, Capito, Monasa 

 and Phosnicophaus ; (6) Imberbi, including Sauwthera, Scythrops, 

 Leptosomus, Goccyzus, Cuculus, Indicator, Corydomjx and Crotophaga; 

 and (7) Frugivori, formed by Musophaga and Opxthus. 



1 It is a remarkable and, if capable of explanation, would doubtless be an 

 instructive fact tliat the largest known species of the genus, Z. alhigularis, 

 measuring nearly six inches in length, was confined to so small a spot as Norfolk 

 Island, where also another, Z. tenuirostris, not much less in size, occurred ; while 

 a third, of intermediate stature, Z. stremla, inhabited the still smaller Lord Howe 

 Island. A fourth, Z. vatensis, but little inferior in bulk, is found on one of the 

 New Hebrides ; but, after these giants of their kind, the rest fall off considerably, 

 and some of the smaller species hardly exceed 3| inches from end to end. 



