Sclater on the Systema Avium. 79 



quite disposed to agree, and propose to use Nitzsch's appropriate 

 term " Odontoglossa- " to designate the order. 



The family Plataleidse, I may here remark, should include the 

 Spoonbills and Ibises, as Nitzsch, who first constituted the group 

 under the title Hemiglottides.* has shown. It is a common but 

 very obvious error, well exposed by Garrod. t to unite the Ibises 

 with Tantalus. But Tantalus is a true Stork, and has nothing 

 to do with Ibis. The Plataleiche differ from all the other Hero- 

 diones in being "shizorhinal,"} in which respect they deviate 

 towards the Limicoloe. But their pterylosis is that of the Storks, 

 "even to the smallest details. "§ 



IO. AxSKRES. 



The Anseres, if considered as limited to the single family 

 Anatidse, constitute a rather isolated group which can be very 

 easily defined. Following Parker|| and Huxley^" in the ' Xomen- 

 clator ' I associated the Palamedeidaa with the Anseres. But 

 after the recent investigation of Prof Garrod** it would seem 

 impossible to deny that the peculiarities of this group are such 

 as to necessitate their recognition as a separate order, which I 

 propose to call Palamedea?. Nitzsch has long ago shown that 

 the pterylosis of Palatnedea is abnormal in showing scarcely 

 any appearances of spaces between the feather-tracts (Ptery- 

 logr. pp. 16, 121) ; but in the Anatidse, also, the spaces are very 

 narrow. 



The best position for the Palatnedea' appears to me to be just 

 before the Anseres. which I commence with the genus An- 

 seranus.\\ 



II. Coi.UMB.-E. 



We now enter upon the great Schizognathous series of Prof. 

 Huxley, which, I think it must be allowed, runs on much more 

 smoothly after the removal of the five preceding groups. The 

 Columbre are Passerine in many respects (especially as regards 

 the state in which the young are excluded from the egg, which 



* Pterylography, p. 133 (Engl. tr.). f P. Z. S. 1875, p. 301. 



% Garrod, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 37. § Nitzsch, Pterylogr. p. 133. 



|| P. Z. S. 1863, p. 511. HP. Z. S. 1867, p. 460. 



** P. Z. S. 1876, p. 189. ft See P. Z. S. 1880, p. 497. 



