84 DICTIONARY OF BIRDS 
SPHENISCOMORPHE; (5) ALECTOROMORPH#; and finally (6) PrRisTERO- 
morrHm. In the third of these ‘‘Suborders,” the Desmognathe, the 
vomer is either abortive or so small as to disappear from the skeleton. 
When it exists it is always slender, and tapers to a point anteriorly. The 
maxillo-palatals are bound together (whence the name of the “ Suborder”) 
across the middle line, either directly or by the ossification of the nasal 
septum. The posterior ends of the palatals and anterior of the pterygoids 
articulate directly with the rostrum. The groups of Desmognathex are 
characterized as carefully as are those of the preceding “ Suborder,” and 
are as follows :—(1) CHENOMORPH; (2) AMPHIMORPHE; (3) PELARGO- 
MORPH ; (4) DysPOROMORPH ; (5) AETOMORPHE ; (6) PsITTACOMORPHA; 
and lastly (7) CoccYaomorPH4a, containing four groups, to which, however, 
names were not given. Next in order come the CELEOMORPHA, a group 
respecting the exact position of which Prof. Huxley was uncertain,’ 
though he inclined to think its relations were with the next group, 
AairHoGNaTH#, the fourth and last of his “Suborders,” characterized 
by a form of palate in some respects intermediate between the two pre- 
ceding. The vomer is broad, abruptly truncated in front, and deeply cleft 
behind, so as to embrace the rostrum of the sphenoid ; the palatals have 
produced postero-external angles ; the maxillo-palatals are slender at their 
origin, and extend obliquely inwards and forwards over the palatals, end- 
ing beneath the vomer in expanded extremities, not united either with 
one another or with the vomer, nor does the latter unite with the nasal 
septum, though that is frequently ossified. Of the Afgithognathe two 
divisions are made—(1) CyPsELOMORPH®, and (2) CoRAcoMORPH&,” 
which last are separable into two groups, one (a) formed of the genus 
Menura (LyRx-B1RD), which then seemed to stand alone, and the other (6) 
made up of Potymyop&, TracHEopHONZ and OLigomyop#, sections 
fonnded on the syringeal structure, but declared to be not natural. 
The above abstract? shews the general drift of this very remarkable 
contribution to Ornithology, and it has to be added that for by far the 
greater number of his minor groups Huxley relied solely on the form of 
the palatal structure, the importance of which Cornay, as already stated 
(page 69), had before urged, though to so little purpose. That the palatal 
structure must be taken into consideration by taxonomers as affording 
hints of some utility there could no longer be a doubt ; but the present 
writer is inclined to think that the characters drawn thence owe more of 
their worth to the extraordinary perspicuity with which they were 
presented by Huxley than to their own intrinsic value, and that if the 
same power had been employed to elucidate in the same way other parts 
of the skeleton—say the bones of the sternal apparatus or even of the 
pelvic girdle—either set could have been made to appear quite as in- 
structive and perhaps more so. Adventitious value would therefore seem 
1 Prof. Parker subsequently advanced the Woodpeckers to a higher rank under 
the name of SaurocnatHe® (Microscop. Journ. 1872, p. 219, and Zr. Linn. Soc. ser. 
2, Zoology, i. p. 2). 
z By mistake this group was referred (page 104) to the Desmognathous Birds. 
° This is adapted from one (Record of Zool. Lit. iv. pp. 46-49) which was sub- 
mitted to the author’s approval. 
