412 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. XXI 



However, his chief interest was in the anatomy 

 of birds, at which he had been working for some 

 time, and especially the development of certain of 

 the cranial bones as a basis of classification. On 

 April 11, expanding one of his Hunterian Lectures, 

 he read a paper on this subject at the Zoological 

 Society, afterwards published in their Proceedings 

 for 1867. 



As he had found the works of Professor Cornay 

 of help in the preparation of this paper, he was 

 careful to send him a copy with an acknowledgment 

 of his indebtedness, eliciting the reply "c'est si beau 

 de trouver chez Thomme la science unie a la justice." 



He followed this up with another paper on "The 

 Classification and Distribution of the Alectoromorphae 

 and Heteromorphae " in 1868, and to the work upon 

 this the following letter to his ally, W. K. Parker, 

 refers : 



ROYAL GEOLOG. SURVEY OF GT. BRITAIN, 

 JERMYN STREET, July 17, 1867. 



MY DEAR PARKER Nothing short of the direct 

 temptation of the evil one could lead you to entertain 

 so monstrous a doctrine, as that you propound about 

 Cariamidce. 



I recommend fasting for three days and the application 

 of a scourge thrice in the twenty-four hours ! Do this, 

 and about the fourth day you will perceive that the 

 cranial differences alone are as great as those between 

 Cathartes and Serpentarius. 



If you want to hear something new and true it is 

 this : 



1. That Memora is more unlike all the other Passerines 



