358 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the 



appear to me to be that the feathers are remarkably few and 

 sparsely distributed ; as a natural consequence the pterylse 

 are but feebly defined. 



The contour-feathers, as already pointed out, are charac- 

 terized by their comparatively great length and freedom from 

 downy rami at the base ; further, they are somewhat harsh 

 to the touch and coarse in structure, a feature which 

 my readers will recall as characteristic of certain Cuculida, 

 e. g. Centropus. 



V. Systematic Position o/Opisthocomus. 



As to the systematic position of Opisthocomus, as indicated 

 by its pterylosis, I had rather not express an opinion yet, 

 for the very good and sufficient reason that I do not possess 

 sufficient reliable data. Nitzsch's is really the only work of 

 reference, and I have lately found so many of his figures 

 incorrect that it seems to me unwise to waste time in making 

 comparisons which depend upon the accuracy of this author's 

 figures for their value. 



Quite recently Mr. Beddard has generously provided me 

 with a collection of Cuculida and Musophagida, and when I 

 have carefully examined all these I propose to present the 

 readers of ' The Ibis ' with a brief summary of the result. 

 There then remains to be worked out the pterylosis of the 

 obviously more closely related Galli and the Rallidce. To 

 postpone the publication of the present paper until all this 

 has been done seems to me unwise, especially since it pro- 

 bably would nearly double its bulk. We might, however, 

 with some profit perhaps, run through the most noticeable 

 points in the pterylosis of Opisthocomus, so as to bring out, 

 as far as is possible, those in which it agrees or disagrees 

 (1) with the Gain and (2) with the Cucidi, and also certain 

 Ralline affinities which have been ascribed to this bird. 

 Thus, then, Opisthocomus agrees with the Galli in that the 

 wing is quintocubital, in the remarkable order of the 

 development of the metacarpo-digital remiges (primaries), 

 and in that the number of these remiges is 10. With the 

 Cuculi there is a striking general resemblance in the ptery- 



