312 ANATOMY AND AFFIXITIES OF CCEREBID^— LUCAS. vol.xvii. 



although it is by no means a typical thrush. It certainly has no near 

 relationship with tbe Tyranuida^. 



Neither 2Iyadestes nor Pha'ornis have any tracte ot a 



• metai)terygoid, but while this little process is quite 



generally present in thrushes, it varies greatly in the 



'," amount of development. It is best developed in Merida 



aurantia and ^1/. migratoria, is small in Turdus musteli- 



niis and pallasi, rudimentary or even wanting in sicain- 



soni undfuscescens. When the metapterygoid is small 



it is occasionally dithcult to decide whether a minute 



r~) process is present, or merely a prolongation of the 



1 S^ sphenoid foot. 



^ ,„ ^ , The turdine resemblances of Phceornis have already 



Fig. 12. — Dorsal •' 



tractsof (1) J/2/ bccu pointed out by Dr. Gadow, although he seems to 

 adestessoutarim; ^g^^.^ ]^^^ doubts about i)Ositively placing the birds 



(2) Turdiispalla ^^ , ./ i o . 



m; reduced. together. \\ orkiug over the question anew my own 

 observations corroborate those of Dr. Gadow, but I would go a step 

 farther and until it was shown to be otherwise definitely place Phceornis 

 with the Turdidaj. Certainly if Myadestefi is to be considered a thrush 

 Phaa'ornis is doubly one. 



Remarks on the Affinities of Fhainopepla Nitens. 



PJiainopepla was placed by Gray near Ainpelis, and here is where it 

 undoubtedly belongs. The skulls of the two are very 

 much like, particularly in the palatal region, and both 

 possess a large, free, swollen lachrymal, this last being a 

 point of much importance, since such a lachrymal is of 

 rare occurrence among birds. The quadrates of Ampelis 

 and Phainopepla agree with each other in minute as well 

 as general characters, as do also the pneumatic maxillo 

 palatines. 



The characters which separate Myadestes from Ampelis 

 separate it also from Pliainopepla. 



The very marked resemblances between the skulls of 

 Phainopepla and Ampelis render it, in this instance, un- 

 necessary to go into further details, but it may also be said sai tract of 

 that the general contour of the dorsal tracts in the two t''>ai"op<-piani- 

 species agree very well also, although the outer angles of 

 the tract are a little more rounded in Phainopepla than in Ampelis. 



