PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 309 



As groups of birds are coustituted the Coerebid;e are certainly suffi- 

 ciently distinct to stand apart, and the gaj) between them and the 

 Mniotiltidae seems widest, although this may be due to a tendency on 

 my part to place considerable weight on the general pattern of the 

 palate. 



The relationship with the tanagers is not very close, although such 

 short-billed forms as Ghlorophancs and Dacnis, which unfortunately 

 were not available, nught bring the two groups a little closer. 



In size, form, pterylosis, structure of tongue, and pattern of convo- 

 lutions of alimentary canal, there is a strong resemblance between 

 Coereha and Acanthorhynehics. and so far the two forms exhibit a most 

 interesting case of liarallelism. The palate, too, on superficial exam- 

 ination, looks not unlike that of Glossoptila, but as Dr. Parker points 

 out in the second part of his memoir on the Skull of -Egithognathous 

 Birds, there is a striking dissimilarity in the fact that in Acanthor- 

 hynchus the palatines run outside the palatal process of the premaxillary 

 instead of along the inner side, as in passerine birds generally. 



Finally, it must be said that the members of the C<erebida^ do not 

 form a homogeneous group, for the family contains at least three well- 

 marked types, Ccercb<(, Certhiola, and Glossojitila, and these types 

 differ from one another in a very marked degree. While Dacuis and 

 (Idorophanes have not been examined by me, the figures of skulls and 

 tongues of these genera indicate that they belong near Goereba. These 

 genera form a well-marked group containing those species nearest to 

 the Mniotiltid;e and characterized by a long, cleft, feathered, but not 

 suctorial tongue, small crop-liUe dilatation of the (esophagus and simply 

 convoluted intestine. 



Certhiola has a bifid, brushy tongue, no crop, extremely complicated 

 intestine, and produced angle to the mandible. The tongue resembles 

 that of some of the Meliphagidie; the other characters are like some 

 found in the Drepanididiie. Glossoptila, with its loose ptilosis, decided 

 crop and unique, trifid tongue, is equally well characterized and cer- 

 tainly should stand apart, seeming to hold with respect to C<ereba much 

 the same position that Ghainea does with the wrens. 



The Anatomy and Affinities of Certhidia. 



At the suggestion of Mr. Ridgway I have examined three specimens 

 of Certhidia salvini, kindly provided by Dr. G. Baur, with a view of 

 ascertaining whether or not the suggestion of Coerebine affinities pre- 

 sented by its external appearance was borne out by its anatomy. 



The pterylosis is of the orthodox passerine ijattern and the dorsal 

 tract has a diamond-shaped outline, similar to that found in Dendroica 

 and many other small birds. The testimony of the skull is unmistak- 

 able, for it has the short, subangular, transpalatiue processes, and well 



