402 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



value to the former. Indeed the investigations of Prof. A Mihie-Ed- 

 wards (Ann. Sc. Nat. Zoologie, ser. S, xi, pp. Si-iii ; viii, pj). 145- 

 156) on the bones of the head in various psittacine forms make it clear 

 that these alone present features of much significance, and if his in- 

 vestigations had not been carried on lor a special object, but had been 

 extended to other parts of the skeleton, there is little doul)t that they 

 would have removed some of the greatest difficulties." 



"The one osteological character to which (iarrod trusted, namely, 

 the condition of the furcula, cannot be said to contribute much to- 

 wards a safe basis of classification. That it is wholly absent in some 

 genera of Parrots had long been known, but its imperfect ossification, 

 it appears, is not attended in some cases by any diminution of volant 

 powers, which tends to show that it is an unimportant character, an 

 inference confirmed by the fact that it is found wanting in genera 

 placed geographically so far apart that the loss must have had in some 

 of them an independent origin. Summarily expressed, (rarrod's 

 scheme was to divide the Parrots into two Families, Pakeflnufliidce 

 and Fsittacidce, assigning to the former three Subfamilies, Pahvoriii- 

 thiiUB, CacatiiiiHc, and Striin^opino', and to the latter four, Ariine, 

 Pyrrhiiriiue, Platycerciiue, and C/trysofiihc. That each of these sec- 

 tions, except the Cacatitiiuc, is artificial any regard to osteology would 

 show, and it would be useless here to further criticise his method, ex- 

 cept to say that its greatest merit is that, as before mentioned (See 

 Encycl. Brit., Art. "Love-Bird," vol. XV, p. 28), he gave sufficient 

 reasons for distinguishing between the genera Agaponus and Psitta- 



In the same place Prof Newton further adds, that " Still more re- 

 cently we have the arrangement followed l)y Mr. Sclater in the List of 

 those exhibited of late years in the gardens of the Zoological Society, 

 and published in 1883. This is more in accordance with the views 

 that the present writer is inclined to hold, and these views may here, 

 though with much diffidence, be stated. First there is Strigops, which 

 must stand alone, unless Geopsittaciis and Pczoponis ma}' ha\e to be 

 placed with it in a Family Strigopidccy 



"Next Nestor, from its osteological peculiarities, seems to form a 

 very separate tyjje, and represents a second Family Ncstoridce. These ^ 

 two families being removed, all the Parrots that remain will be found 

 to have a great resemblance among themselves, and perhajjs it is im- 

 ])Ossible justifiably to establish anv more families. For the ])resent at 



