Appendix. 



/ o 



in the two birds umler considei-ation. In the P'inclies the arrangement described by C'uvier 

 obtains, both anterior and posterior long muscles running to tlie third broneliial semi-ring. 



There is anotlier featui'e in Passerine anatomy which has interested me considerably durinfr 

 my investigations. It is the lule among birds, almost without exception, that the main artery 

 of the leg is that which must be supposed to be represented in Man by the comes nervi ischiatici, 

 it accompanying the sciatic nerve — the sciatic artery. The main nerve of the leg is the sciatic ; 

 the main vein the femoral. The only known exceptions to this nde are the cases of the genus 

 Dacelo among the Alcedinidae, and Cenfropus among the Cuculidae. In the former the femoral 

 vein is replaced by the one which is intermediate in situation between its usual course and 

 the sciatic artei-y ; in the latter the sciatic artery is absent, and is replaced Ijy the femoral '. 



In a certain few Passerine birds the main artery of the leg is the femoral, and not the 

 sciatic. These genera are all members of the Oligomyodi of Midler ; and tlie accompanying 

 list contains the names of all the Oligomyodian species which I have had the opportunity of 

 examining, with the results arrived at, as far as this peculiarity is concerned. 



Passeres Oligcimyodi. 



With a feninral artery. With a sciatic artery. 



Chiroxiphia linearis, Mionectes olsagineus, 



*■ Chiromachaeris vitellina, Tyrannisens vilissimiis, 



Heteropelma vKraepacis, Fitam/iis sulphitrafns, 



Tityra personata, Myiodynastes luteiventi-in, 



Hadrostomus aglaiae, Empidonax minimus, 



Lipaugns cineracens, Myiarchus crinitus, 



Cotinga cincta,, Tyrannus melancJiolicus, 



Chasninrhynchus midicollis. Eupicola crocea, 



Pitta angolensis, 

 Pitta cijnniira. 



I must mention also that in a specimen of the minute Mitrej^horus plMenem-cns, it appeared 

 to me that the artery of the leg was the femoral ; but I should like to see more specimens 

 before I can feel justified in disturbing any generalisations by using this single example. 



All Acromyodian Passeres of species which I have examined, over one hundred in number, 

 possess the sciatic artery, including Menura and Atrichia; and the Tracheophonae quite agree 

 with them in this respect. Such being the case, it seems to me that from among the Mesomyodian 

 Passeres a small section may be divided off, including the families Pipridae and Cotingidae, 

 in which a characterising feature is the development of a femoral in place of a sciatic artery; 

 and this being the case, Rupicohi. must be removed from the Cotingidae. 



Although our knowledge of the classification of the Passerine Birds is still so far from 

 complete, a digest of the facts at our disposal, based upon those brought forward in the work 



' Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 629. 

 L 



