10 



NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



The different bones of the head ancliylose very early, it being a distinctive char- 

 acter of all liviiiir birds to possess a continuous skull-case without sutures; but it must 

 be borne in ihIihI tliat we know of an extinct group of binls, the Gastornithes, in 



whifli the sultn-es were jiernianent. Notwithstamling a 

 general iniiforniity in the bird cranium, certain variations 

 of tlie osteolugical structure, ])articularly of the palate 

 and the base of the skull, have of late obtained a great 

 ]>ri>mincnce as systematic characters liy the investigations 

 of Professor Ilu.vlcy, and his famous classiticatiuii of tlie 

 birds based upon them. Although not i)repared to attach 

 so great an importance to these features as has been at- 

 tributed to them by many ornithologists, we will have 

 to ])ay special attention to them, as in many cases they 

 j)lay a role in the ornithological classification similar to 

 that of the teeth in mammals. 



Professor Huxley distinguished four different types of 

 the jialate, which he has called droUKioffiuttlioim, nrhiso- 

 f/)i(U/tonx, (.lesiiiof/itat/ious, and n tiilhoipiolhons, and Pro- 

 fessor Parker lias separated a fifth type, which he styles 

 suitrof/mtt/iOHH. Referring for explanation to the accom- 

 l>aiiying cuts, which will give the desired information 

 much easier than the best description, we abstain from 



Fio. 2.— I'ihUt vii-w c.f ihp skull ot any detailed account, only calling attention in a few 

 basiiifrytioiii proet-M iif the spiie- words to the most Salient features. I'lg. J represents 

 imlaiiiii-; /.iiij-, prninnxiihi ; jii, the drom:fo<;natlioiis structure <>l the ]ialatc. as toiind 

 CiiiiArhv^;^"""' "'^'^''^ '" tl"^' emu an.l, with some m.pdilications. in the other 



ostriches ami the tiiiMiiioiis. In 



these, to use Huxley's own words, "the posterior ends of the 



]>al:itines (jil) and the anterior ends of the pterygoids {/>() are 



very imperfectly, <n- not at all, articulated with the basi-sjihe- 



noldal rostrum (I!), being usually separated from it, and sii]i- 



ported, by the broa.l, cleft, hinder end of the vomer" (1:0). The 



rest of the birds, consequently, have the palatine and ](tcrygoiil 



bones articulating with the splienoi<lal rostrum, and not l)oriie 



up by the posterior ends of the vomer. The anangeinent illns- 



trateil l)y Fig. 3 is the one called desinognathous, since the 



maxillo-palatines (m.rj^) are united medially in the palate (</(»■- 



mos, a bond), the vomer, at the same time being rudimentary, 



or (iiiite absent, as, for instance, in ducks, flamingos, herons, cor- 

 morants, )ielicans, birds of jirey, jiarrots, cuckoos, etc. Fig. 4 



shows a )palate (piite ilifferent. Here is a cleft between the 



maxillo-palatines (nixji), and another between thi'in anil the 



vomer (i-o), hence the n:ime schi/.ognathous (sriiizo, I cleave); 



but, in addition to this, the character of the vomer, being 



pointed in front, is essential, since by this mark the true schi/.o- 

 gnathous birds, — for instance, the jpeiiguiiis, auks, gulls, snipes, 



fowls, grouse, pigeons, etc., — are sejiaratcd from another great group of birds, which 



have the jfalate "a-githognatlious, or s]iarrow-like, for in these, as exemjilitied by 



Fio. :\. — I'li.ltr view nf tlio 

 KknII of H foniMTanl (I»i'8- 

 inocimlhou8). Tlif letters 

 ns Before. 



