80 Mr. P. L. Sclater on the 



I. Passeres. In all the true Passerine birds yet examined 

 the fifth cubital remex is present. Gerbe, Wray, and Gadow 

 alike agree to this. It is nevertheless very desirable that all 

 the abnormal forms of Passeres should be examined with 

 reference to this point. 



II. Picari^s. The Picarian birds have not the same homo- 

 geneous structure as regards their cubital remiges as the 

 Passeres. We will therefore consider their six divisions or 

 suborders seriatim. 



a. Pici. In all the Woodpeckers yet examined the fifth 

 c. r. has been found present. 1 have before me prepared 

 specimens of Colaptes auratus, Picus major, Tiga shorei, 

 Centurus striatus, and lynx torquilla. 



b. Cypseli. In the Trochilidae the fifth c. r. is apparently 

 present, in the Caprimulgidse it is absent, in the Cypselidae 

 it is sometimes present and sometimes absent. 



In true Cypselus, as stated by Wray, the fifth c. r. is 

 present, as it is also in the Tree Swift (Dendrochelidon) . 

 But I find it absent in a specimen of a species of Collocalia, 

 which is certainly a member of this family. 



c. Anisodactylcs . In the Anisodactylous Picarians, as a 

 rule, the fifth c. r. is present. Out of the twelve families 

 enumerated in my above-mentioned paper (see Ibis, 1880, 

 p. 40]), I have found the following genera, so far as they 

 have been examined, to be quincubital : — Colius, Buceros, 

 Upupa, Merops, Todus, Podargus, and Steatornis. 



Dr. Gadow adds Coracias to the list. He also gives the 

 fifth c. r. as present in Alcedo and Halcyon. 



But my observations induce me to believe that there is a 

 singular anomaly in this respect in the Alcedinida?. I find 

 the fifth c. r. present in Alcedo ispida, Cittura sanguirensis, 

 and Ceryle americana, but absent in Halcyon vagans and 

 H. chloi'is. What is still more remarkable, it seems to be 

 absent in Ceryle alcyon, though it is certainly present in a 

 specimen of C. americana now before me. 



d. Heterodactyla, e. Zygodactyly, and f. Coccyges. In 

 these three remaining suborders of the Picarians the fifth 



