Joi'UXAL OF CoMl'AKA'l IVE NeUROLOGV. 



II. -RELATION OF BRAIN MEASUREMENTS TO 

 TAXONOMY. 



Remembering that, owing to its position, the brain would 

 be very little influenced by external agencies, it is thought 

 that the comparative development of the brain should form 

 an important element in the classification of birds. With 

 this idea in mind, Table VI. has been compiled. This table 

 has been arranged, not to give a final classification for Amer- 

 ican birds, but to illustrate the taxonomic value of the avian 

 brain. 



KXPI.AN A riON OF TABLK \' I (SKK 1>. 88). 



The column headed " Pros." contains a classification hased upon 

 the relative development of the different parts of the avian brain. 



The column headed " Huxley '' contains Piof. Thomas Huxley's 

 classification. His classification is based upon osteolot(ical character- 

 istics.(') 



The column headed "Parker" contains Prof. W. K. Parker's 

 modification of Prof. Huxley's classification. (*) 



In all cases, excepting that of the Liiri(f<r and Col)'iiihi(hi\ the tabu- 

 lation is based upon original obser\ation. My notes upon these two 

 groups are based upon a study of sketches by BriinnlichC) and bv 

 Cjmelin.(-') 



Taking it for granted that a well-developed prosenceph- 

 alon indicates a high degree of specialization, the majority 

 of the distinctions are based upon the development of that 

 portion of the brain. To say that the olfactory lobes are 

 covered is equivalent to saying that the prosencephalon is 

 flexed. To say that the optic lobes are covered is equivalent 

 to saying that the longftudinal axis of the prosencephalon is 

 quite long. 



1 "On thu Clas.sifi cation of HinU: and <ii ilie Ta.xononiic Vahic of the iModillcauons 

 of Certain of the Cranial Rone-.' l!y TlionKi.- Hnxlov. K.R.S , \ P.Z.S. Proc. of the 

 Zoo). Soc, 1867, pp. 415-47-'- 



a Encyclopa-'dia Britannica, nintli edition, Vol. Ill, p. 605. 



3 Inited States Geological Survey, I. W. Powell, Director: third auuual re\jort, 

 '1881-82). p. 56, Fig. 8. 



4 Ditto, p. 70, Fig. 20. 



