ON THE DEEP PLANTAR TENDONS IN BIRDS. 297 
birds we have, therefore, the flexor longus hallucis arising from the 
lower surface of the femur only, running through the ankle at the 
outer side of the other deep tendon, and sending a vinculam down- 
wards—all of which are special characters of that muscle only, it being Page 347. 
distributed to three toes, whilst the flexor perforans digitorum only 
supplies one. 
The birds with scansorial feet thus fall into two divisions, accord- 
ing to the arrangement of their plantar tendons, these being normal 
in the Psittaci and Cuculide, whilst they are extremely peculiar in the 
Picide, Ramphastide, Capitonide, and Galbulide. In my paper on 
the Classification of Birds,* the presence or absence of the ambiens 
muscle made me feel justified in placing the Psittacit and Cuculide 
among my HomaLoconar2, at the same time that the Pici, Ramphastide, 
Capitonide, and Galbulide are arranged among the ANOMALOGONATZ. 
These new observations are therefore strongly in favour of the natural- 
ness of the classification proposed. 
There is only one other point to be considered on the present occa- 
sion, as far as this question is concerned. It is the distribution of 
Fig. 9. 
a 
pill 
A typical Passerine Foot. 
* “ Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” 1873, p. 626, and 1874, p. 111 e¢ seq. 
(Supra, p. 187, et seq.) 
