152 SHOULDER-GIRDLE AND BREAST-BONE. 



Family " LAMELLIROSTRES " vet "ANATIN.E." 



1st Sub-fam. " PALAMEDIIN^E." 

 Example. Chauna chavaria, Linn. 



2nd Sub-fam. " AN SERIN M." 



Example 1. Anser palustris, Flem. 

 Example 2. Anser anas melanoleuca, Lath. 

 Example 3. Cygnus olor, Gmel. 

 Example 4. Cygnus musicus, Bechst. 



3rd Sub-fam. " ANATIN..E." 

 Example 1. Anas boschas, Linn. 

 Example 2. QuerqueduZa caudacuta, Ray. 



4>tA Sub-fam. " FULIGULIN.S." 

 Example 1. Oidemia nigra, Linn. 

 Example 2. Clanyula chrysophthalma, Steph. 



oth Sub-fam. " MERGANSERIN.&." 

 Example 1. Merganser castor, Linn. 

 Example 2. Mergm albettus, Linn. 



If we take these instances of the Lamellirostral Family as fairly representing the whole group, 

 their Shoulder- and Breast-bones may be characterised as follows : 



Scapula long, narrow, curved, blunt-pointed ; the acromion (meso-scapula) short and rounded. 



Coracoid moderately long, with a projecting head ; a short, curved meso-coracoid process ; 

 a broad epicoracoid region, with the posterior process obtuse, as a rule, but somewhat hooked in 

 th e marine species. 



Furcula U-shaped, very strong, especially in the terrestrial and fresh-water kinds ; pointed at 

 the tips of its rami, and yet having these extremities thickened by the meso-scapular segments ; 

 a pracoracoidal spur on the front edge, just below the junction with the head of the coracoid ; 

 inter-clavicular process absent, or very rudimentary, or, very rarely, large. The rami of the 

 furcula are strongly curved the former one third of a circle, and the meso-scapular and pras- 

 coracoidal additions are evidently ossified from the clavicles, and not by an autogenous deposit of 

 bony matter. 



Sternum large, oblong, moderately broad ; costal processes moderate ; the keel not reaching 

 the hinder end, and rather deep, deepest in the terrestrial forms, which have its front part project- 

 ing but little forwards, whilst it is very projecting as we arrive towards the Mergansers ; coracoids 

 not overlapping, but some little distance apart ; rostrum absent at both ends of the series, viz. in 

 Palamedea, the Fuliguliiue, and the Merganser ; and short, thick, and Pluvialine in Cygnus, Anser, 

 and Anas ; but elongated and Ardeine in Querquedula caudacuta. Post-costal region bowed out very 

 little in Palamedea, but the width of the hinder half increasing as we pass downwards in the 



