THE PALATE IN TROGONS. 283 



The only description of the palate of the Trogons I have met with is 

 that contained in Prof. Huxley's celebrated paper on the Classification 

 of Birds in the Society's ' Proceedings ' for 1867. It runs as follows * : 

 " The only Trogon skull I have had the opportunity of examining is that 

 of T. reimvardti. It possesses basipierygoid processes, in which respect 

 it resembles Caprimulgus, and is unlike all the other genera which 

 remain to be mentioned. The palatines have a general resemblance to 

 those of the Musophagidse ; the vomer seems to be equally rudimentary ; 

 and the maxillo-palatines, though less spongy, unite in the middle line." 

 The Trogonidae are therefore included in Prof. Huxley's Desmognathous 

 series. 



Recent examination of the skulls of several species of Neotropical 

 Trogons (including Trogones puella, mexicanus, atricollis, and caligatus, 

 and Pharomacrus mocinno), for the opportunity of which I am indebted 

 to the kindness of Mr. Salvin, as well as of one of Harpactes reinwardti 

 (the species described by Prof. Huxley) from the Eyton collection, has p. z. S. 1881, 

 convinced me of the incorrectness of the last part of Prof. Huxley's de- P- 83/ ^ 

 scription. In fact, the Trogons are not in the slightest degree desmo- 

 gnathous, but schizognathous, Prof. Huxley's error having probably been 

 due to the imperfect preparation of the specimen which he inspected. 



As will be evident from the drawing I now exhibit (see figure) of the 



Palate of Pharomacrus mocinno. 



palate of Pharomacrus mocinno, the somewhat spongy and remarkably 

 transverse maxillo-palatines do not unite with each other, or with any 

 median ossification, across the central line. On the contrary, their inner 

 ends are free both from each other, from the lower border of the nasal 

 septum, which is ossified, and from the thin and filiform vomer, which 

 runs between their ends to terminate in a point a little anteriorly to them. 

 The same is the case in the other five species already named. 



The Trogons being thus, as I have shown, not desmognathous, would 

 have, if Prof. Huxley's group of " CoccygomorphaB " were retained, to be 



* L. c. p. 444. 



