No: Tr: | NORTH AMERICAN PASSERES. 109 
There is another character of no inconsiderable importance, 
and may perhaps be entitled to greater weight than the booted 
tarsus, and that is the reduction of the tex primaries of the wing 
to zine. The Tanagers show this feature, and it is a good one 
to hold them in the place which I have assigned them; more- 
over, it gives them precedence over the more lowly organized 
Turdid@, which in reality should long ago have been recognized. 
Few, however, will question the claim of the 7urdid@ to the 
next place in the series, and it is there that they have been 
placed in my scheme. High organization in them is seen in 
some of the species having relatively rather large brains; in 
the booted tarsi of some of the species; in the syrinx; in the 
Turdin@é possessing a spurious first quill; and some few other 
minor points. Evidences of their being structurally and psycho- 
logically lower in the scale are seen in their young having a first 
plumage which in all cases is different from the plumage of the 
adult ; in some of their near affines having comparatively small 
brains; in none of them showing a marked degree of intelli- 
gence; finally, in some of their near kin being aberrant forms 
of rather a low order of organization, as Orvoscoptes. 
Structurally linked with the Zuvdide, we have the Troglody- 
tide, their nearest affines in our avifauna, and I have ranked 
them next in my series. Following these I have placed the 
Cinclide, as Cinclus undoubtedly has strong turdine affinities, 
and perhaps some kinship with the Wrens. 
Below the Czxclide I have placed our family of Wood War- 
blers (Zinotz/tzd@), containing as it does such thrush-like forms 
as are found in the genus Sczuvus, which, osteologically at least, 
appear to be related to Czmclus. In this group Setophaga de- 
mands a far more careful examination than it thus far has ever 
received, and I believe it was McGillivray who threw a shade of 
suspicion over its morphology by saying that its syrinx was very 
much the same as we find it in the Clamatores. At present I 
have only an imperfect skull of a Redstart before me (5. 
ruticilla), and have met with none of this genus for several years 
past. From such a genus as MJznotilta of the MWznotilttde, we 
' pass naturally to the Cwrebzde, and I have allowed them to stand 
next in my series. These latter are followed next below by the 
Sylviide, containing such forms as the Kinglets and Gnat- 
catchers, birds that, although in the former the tarsus is booted, 
