48 



THE OSPREY. 



were divided into groups with the termination 

 raorphae, as ^Etomorphae (Raptores), Psittaco- 

 morphse (Psittaci), etc., not taxonomically desig- 

 nated, Imt essentially equivalent to "superfami- 

 lies." The .<35githognathous "CoracomorphEe" 

 corresponded with the "Passeres" as limited 

 by recent naturalists, and Huxley was "dis- 

 posed" to divide it "into two primary groups, 

 one containing Menura, and the other all the 

 other genera." How the immense aggregate 

 represented by all the other g-enera were to be 

 subdivided Huxley did not venture to decide. 

 but he leaves the impression that he had little 

 respect for the numerous "families" which had 

 been recognized by most ornithologists. 



The value of this work consisted chiefly in 

 disturbing the old classifications and calling 

 attention to the proper method of investigation. 

 Much of it. nevertheless, appears to have been 

 of permanent value, and most of the superfami- 

 lies at least have been recognized as natural 

 assemblages, although still generally given 

 ordinal or subordinal rank and endowed with 

 older names. The memoir at least gave an im- 

 pulse in the right direction — morphological as 

 opposed to teleological — and has incited to many 

 elaborate investigations to the great advantage 

 of ornithology. It had a more immediate and 

 general effect on the subsequent arrangements 

 of the class than any other work. 



William Kitchen Parker was a collaborer of 

 Huxley in those days, and did some excellent 

 work on the osteology of birds. He had not 

 equally clear ideas respecting the aims and 

 methods of classification as Huxley, and at one 

 time urged that the Screamer or Cariama of 

 South America was related to the Secretary Bird 

 of Southern Africa. Huxley dissented from this 

 view in a letter which has been published in the 

 "Life and Letters", and as this letter gives a 

 fair idea of the style of his correspondence with 

 intimates as well as opinion of some other orni- 

 thologists, we introduce it. 



Royal Geolog. Sum i.v <>i- Gt. Britain, 

 Jermyn Street, July 17, 1867. 



My hl: \k PaRKKR — Nothing short of the direct 

 temptation of the evil one could lead you to en- 

 tertain so monstrous a doctrine, as that you pro- 

 pound about Cariamidae. 



I recommend fasting for three days and the 

 application of a scourge thrice in the twenty- 

 four hours! Do this, and about the fourth day 

 you will perceive that the cranial differ* in i 

 alone are as meat as those between Cathartes 

 and Serpentarius. 



If vou want to hear something new and true 

 it is this: 



1. That Meraora [sic!] is more unlike all the 

 other Passerines (/. e. Coracomorphaei then they 

 are unlike one another, and that it will have to 

 stand in a group by itself. 



It is as much like a wren as you are — less so, 

 in fact, if you go on maintaining that preposte- 

 rous fiction about Serpentarius. 



2. Wood-peckers are morelike crows than they 

 are like Cuckoos. 



Aegithognathae 



Coracomorphae 



Cypselomorphae Gecinomorphae 



Desmognathae ; 



Coccygomorphae. 



3. Sundevell [Sundevall | is the sharpest fellow 

 who has written on the classification of birds. 



4. Nitzsch and W. K. Parker-' are the sharpest 

 fellows who have written on their osteology. 



5. Though I do not see how it follows naturally 

 on the above, still, where can I see a good skele- 

 ton of Glareola? 



None in college, B. M. S. badly prepared. 

 Ever yours faithfully, 



T. H. Hrxr.EY. 



"Memora" is a slip of Mr. Huxley or the prin- 

 ters for .1/ 1- ii lira, the Lyre bird of Australia. 

 The '•college" referred to is the Royal College 

 of Surgeons. "B. M. S." are the initials of 

 British Museum Skeleton. 



The work abounds in most interesting matter 

 and i;ives the reader a vivid idea of the sci- 

 entific conditions of during the last half of the 

 century. 



Coues' "Key to North American Birds," 

 we learn from the publishers, is now ready 

 for the press. The new edition was thor- 

 oughly revised by the author just before his 

 death, and will be enlarged by the addition of 

 numerous new illustrations. It will be divided 

 into two volumes. 



Biographical Notices oe Kmu.k Blanchard 

 and 'nil-. Milne Edwards have just been pub- 

 lished in the "Bulletin des Nouvelles Archives 

 dtt Musrum d'Histoire Naturelle" (4 sir., t. ii, 

 1900). one is entitled "Kmile Blanchard.— 

 Notice n.ecrologique par E. L. Bouvier, ip. ii — 

 xxviii). the other, "Henri et Alphonse Milne- 

 Edwards, (p. xxix — lxiii), is by Edmond Perrier. 

 Detailed bibliographies (but imperfect in specifi- 

 cation of pages) are given of the publications of 

 Blanchard and Alphonse Milne-Edwards which 

 will be of use to some ornithologists. 



*Except in th< lentarius. [Huxley's note 



