286 General Notes. [£$ 



Urogalba paradisea of the Galbulidse, and Monasa flamrostris, Malacoptila 

 fusca and Bucco maculatus of the Bucconidse. Of allied groups the follow- 

 ing were determined: Ramphastos arid (Ramphastidse), Megalcema asia- 

 tica (Capitonidse), Gecinus viridis and Tiga javanensis (Picidse). 



Descriptions of the plantar tendons in other groups have so often proven 

 erroneous that the verification of all such statements is desirable. This is 

 my excuse for the present note which merely confirms the observations of 

 Garrod; however the species, with one exception, and three of the genera 

 are different and I am able to point out one or two minor variations. 



I have made careful dissections of specimens of Monasa grandior and 

 Malacoptila inornata (Bucconidse), Galbula melanogenia (Galbulidse), 

 Rmnphastos ariel (Ramphastidse), Chloronerpes yucatanensis , Dryobates 

 villosus and Campephilus malherbii (Picidse). The essential antiopelmous 

 arrangement is the same in all, but several variations occur that are worthy 

 of note. 



In Chloronerpes, Megalaima, Ramphastos, Malacoptila and probably 

 Monasa, the distance between the first and second bifurcations of the 

 flexor longus is much greater than in Dryobates and Galbula; in Campe- 

 philus, on the other hand, the three slips spring from practically the same 

 point. The position of the vinculum is somewhat variable. In Ramphas- 

 tos, Megalcema (Garrod), Dryobates, and Campephilus the vinculum leaves 

 the flexor longus decidedly above the primary bifurcation of the latter; 

 in Malacoptila, Galbula and Chloronerpes at the extreme lower end of the 

 main tendon, just as it divides, while in Monasa (as recorded by Garrod 

 also) it originates from the upper ends of the two branches. 



Stejneger states (on what authority I do not know) that the Honey 

 Guides (Indicatoridse) are antiopelmous. There is every reason to believe 

 this statement correct and also to assume that the Wrynecks (Jyngidse) 

 and Piculets (Picumnidse) have the same arrangement. 



This close agreement in the deep plantar tendons is, as remarked by Dr. 

 Stejneger, strong evidence of the mutual relationships of the families pos- 

 sessing this unique arrangement. As this character is not neutralized or 

 overbalanced by any of equal or greater value we may regard these families 

 as forming a natural group, an order or suborder, characterized essentially 

 by their antiopelmous, zygodactyl feet. In other zygodactyl birds, the 

 Parrots and Cuckoos, the tendons are of the wholly different desmopel- 

 mous type, and moreover the ambiens muscle, absent in the antiopelmous 

 group, is here present. — W. DeW. Miller, American Museum of Natural 

 History, New York City. 



The Status of the Genus Hypocenlor Cabanis. — The genus Hypo- 

 centor was originally instituted by Cabanis (Mus. Hem, I, 1851, p. 131) 

 for three species of Buntings, Emberiza aureola Pallas, Emberiza fucata 

 Pallas, and Emberiza rustica Pallas. Its type was soon afterward desig- 

 nated by Gray (Cat. Gen. and Subgen. Birds Brit. Mus., 1855, p. 79) as 

 Emberiza aureola Pallas. Modern authors have commonly synonymized 



