ON THE ANATOMY OF THE TODIES. 345 



60. ON SOME POINTS IN THE ANATOMY OF THE RZ - 

 TODIES (TODIDJE), AND ON THE AFFINITIES OF 

 THAT GROUP.* 



ONE of the few important forms of birds that the late Prof. Garrod 

 had not an opportunity, at some time or other, of dissecting was the 

 genus Todus, the sole representative of the family Todidae. I was 

 therefore much gratified at being able to examine, some months ago, a 

 spirit-specimen of Todus viridis, which was placed at my disposal for 

 dissection by Prof. Newton with his accustomed liberality ; but I hesitated 

 to publish my notes without having further material to confirm my 

 observations. An opportunity of doing this has lately been afforded to 

 me by the kindness of Prof. Baird and the authorities of the Smithsonian 

 Institution in Washington, who forwarded to me, with other valuable p - Z. S. 1882, 

 specimens, four examples in spirit of the Tody of San Domingo (Todus 

 dominicensis). It is on the examination of these two species that the 

 following paper is based. 



Dr. Murie has given us, in his article on Todus^r, an exhaustive 

 account of the opinions held by previous writers as to the position of the 

 Todies, as well as a valuable description of their osteology, and reference 

 to what was known of their visceral anatomy. To this paper I therefore 

 refer any reader interested in the literary history of the group in question. 

 Since its publication Sundevall, Garrod, and Sclater have all treated of 

 the classification of birds. 



The Swedish ornithologist*, relying as usual solely upon external 

 characters, was misled into placing Todus amongst the Passeres, in the 

 close vicinity of the Tyrannidae and Pipridae, though in the same year 

 Mr. Sclater pointed out the impropriety of such a position. 



Garrod at first || made the Todinse with doubt a subfamily of the 

 Coraciidee, the Momotinae forming another; but subsequently, on dis- 

 covering that the Momotidae lacked colic caeca % removed the latter 

 altogether from the group of Passeriformes, and, adopting the opinion 

 of Murie, Sclater, and others as to the close affinities of Todus to the 

 Motmots, included the Todidae with them, the two "almost certainly 

 forming a single family." Mr. Sclater, in his lately published opinions on 

 the classification of birds**, maintains his earlier view, the Todidae being 



* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1882, pp. 442-450. Read May 16, 1882. 



t " On the skeleton of Todus, with remarks as to its allies," P. Z. S. 1872, pp. 664- 

 680, pi. Iv. | ' Tentamen,' p. 60 : Stockholm, 1872. 



Ibis, 1872, p. 179. || Coll. Papers, p. 216. 



^[ L. c. p. 427. The contrary had been asserted by Blyth and Murie. 

 ** Ibis, 1880, p. 401. 



