Mr. W. K. Parker on Palamedea Chavaria. 147 
culated tarsi, like those of the Goose, and not like those of the Cranes 
and Rails, which have them scutellate in front. Whilst removing 
the viscera, I saw that the trachea and inferior larynx were truly an- 
serine ; for there are no inferior laryngeal muscles, the contractors 
of the trachea ending one-third of an inch above the bifurcation, and 
only a delicate fan-shaped fascia going to the half-rings. Moreover 
the trachea itself, from being flat and cartilaginous, becomes round 
and then compressed and osseous an inch above the bronchi, so that 
it cannot be mistaken for the trachea of any other than an anatine 
bird. There is nothing whatever in the digestive organs, which are 
extremely voluminous, to separate the bird from the Geese; yet the 
gizzard is not so strong as in the types, and the ceca coli are shorter 
and wider. I have at present only hinted at the osteology of the 
Palamedea. It diverges from the Goose in all this part of its com- 
position, just as much as it converges towards the Curassow and the 
Talegalla ; but it is not only more galline than the true Geese (we 
have seen that both Geese and Fowls have much in common), it is 
also plainly more lacertine. It will require a goodly memoir to do 
it justice ; but in this short notice I must mention one or two things. 
Its large sofé tongue, which has not the papillee horny, has in it the 
cerato-hyals, ossified from separate points as in the Goose and Hen, 
much nearer the former than the latter ; but the free thyro-hyals are 
flattened from above downwards, and cannot be mistaken for those of 
any other but an anserine or anatine bird. All the skull and face, 
except at the two ends, conform to the lamellirostral type. Point by 
point, process by process, lamina for lamina, all else is truly and 
distinctly that which belongs to the Sifter, and to no other bird..: 
It may be said indeed that this bird is not a Sifter ; it is, however, 
a browzer and a grazer; and being of Lincolnshire descent, and 
familiar with the fens, I am well acquainted with the grazing habits 
of the typical Goose*. There is a little of the Crane in the sternum ; 
but, on the-whole, the skeleton may be said to belong to a very lacer- 
tian Goose. This is cautiously said ; for have we not four fore claws 
in the wing, extremely long sprawling toes, and the ribs perfectly 
destitute of the nearly universal tie-bones or appendages? This 
deficiency is unique amongst birds; and the Crocodiles possess these 
appendages: I consider this a /acertian character, as their occasional 
presence. in Lizards is as exceptional as their absence in birds. Now. 
amongst the rib-like benes in the fossil skeleton of the Archeopteryx 
I see nothing like an appendage starting from any one of them; nor 
has Professor Owen figured anything of the kind in his beautiful 
memoir in the ‘ Philosophical Transactions.’ Let it be added that, 
although several genera of birds have spurs to their wings, these 
birds all lie nearly on the same ornithic plane as the Palamedea, 
—the Syrian Blackbird (Merula dactyloptera) (see Professor Owen 
on Archeopteryz, p. 39) being the only exception. The Megapode 
is also mentiened by Professor Owen (ié7d.) ; but that is a great 
help to me, and comes in well. 
* 66 
the cackling goose, 
Close-grazer —-- .”’—Philips’s Cyder. 
10* 
