10 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the 



from our native species of Tardus in that in the former the 

 tract has the saddle-shaped expansion, while in the latter it 

 is straight. The Ruticillinae, Saxicolinse, and Sialiinse of 

 Dr. Sharpens ' Hand-list ' appear to possess the saddle- 

 shaped type. I have, however, examined very few of the 

 genera of these subfamilies, though among these I have 

 discovered certain small differences which, at the present 

 time, appear to be of uncertain value. Thus Zeledonia and 

 Cossypha — genera which belong apparently to two distinct 

 subfamilies — agree in that the broad dorsal saddle contracts 

 over the pre-ilia to form a narrow band running evenly to 

 the oil-gland. Saxicola appears to be peculiar in that the 

 band immediately behind the saddle is much broader than 

 in Zeledonia, and behind the level of a line passing through 

 the antitrochanters suddenly expands to form a roughly 

 quadrangular patch extending backwards to the oil-gland. 

 But as no less than forty-seven species of Saxicola are 

 recognised by Dr. Sharpe, it seems doubtful whether a 

 detail like this will persist throughout the whole of them — 

 supposing them to be really members of the genus. I have 

 only examined eight. 



Daulias luscinia appears to be intermediate in the matter 

 of this lumbar saddle between Saxicola and Zeledonia, the 

 region bounded by the antitrochanters being very broad and 

 expanding into a still broader caudal patch, which, however, 

 is narroAver than in Saxicola. 



In the possession of the semilunar apterion capitis, Zeledonia 

 appears to be peculiar among the Turdidse. 



If any proof were needed as to the inutility, for the 

 purposes of classification, of the number of the primaries, 

 it could be abundantly furnished by the Turdidse. This 

 character, it will be remembered, has been used by several 

 workers in systematic ornithology ; and especially by 

 Wallace*, who, indeed, made it the basis of a scheme for 

 the classification of the Passeres. 



* "Wallace, A. R., " On the Arrangement of the Families constituting 

 the Order Passeres," Ibis, 1874, p. 406. 



