22 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I43 



The muscles of the brachium are usually heavier than those of the 

 forearm, especially in the anatids, Coragyps, Megaceryle, picids, 

 Synallaxis, Muscivora, Iridoprocne, corvids, parulids, icterids, and 

 fringillids. 



SUPRAC0RAC01DEUS 

 grams 



GO 



40 



20 



1.0 



o.e 



0.6 



0.4 



0.1 



PELECANIDAE, 

 NUMIDIDAE— « 



C R A C I A E- 



ANATIOAE-_« 

 THRESKIORNIT HIDAE~ 

 PH ASI ANIDAE- 

 TINAM1DAE— 



AR AM1DAE- 

 COCHLE ARIIDAE- 



PLOCEI OAE 

 FURNARII OAE 



PARI DAE 

 PAR ULI DAE- 

 C0ERE8IDAE 

 OENDROCOLAPTIDAE 



HIRUNDINID AeO» 

 FOR Ml CARI1DAE-~>^ 

 MOTACILUDAE- 

 I OCHILl DAE-. ^ 

 CER IHII DA E-^^ 

 S YLVII DtE^ , 



HELI 0RN1THI DAE 

 ALCEDINIDAE 

 MO MOTIDAE \ 

 PSI T T ACI DAE 



COLUMB I DAE 

 CH ARADRI I DAE 



J ACANI DAE 

 TROGONIDAE 

 GOTINGIDAE 

 T YRAN N I DAE 

 SCOLOPACI DAE X 

 FRINGILL1 DAE^V 



BOMBYCILLIDAE 

 PI PRI DA E -. 



.••CICONIIDAE 



-CATHARTIOAE 

 ANHING10AE 



^PHALACROCORACIDAE 

 »~PANDIONIDAE 

 ARDE1DAE 

 LARiDAE 



FALCON I DAE 

 ACCIPI TRIDAE 

 STRIGI DAE 



TYT ONIDAE 



RAMPHASTIDAE 

 PODICIPEOIDAE 

 — NYCTIBIIDAE 



STURNIOAE 

 BUCCONIDAE 

 COR VIDAE 

 CA PRI MULGIDAE 

 CUCULI DAE 



-TURDI DAE 

 -CAPIT ONIDAE 

 -C YCLARHIDAE 

 • PIC I DAE 

 ;teri DAE 

 ^AUPIDAE 

 "I DAE 

 -ODYTIDAE 

 IREONI DAE 



I 1 L 



_L 



1 



1 



J_ 



I 



40 60 



100 



200 



400 600 1000 2000 4000 



BODY 



Fig. 3. — Selected plottings of supracoracoideus muscle weights against body weights 



(log scales). 



LOWER-EXTREMITY MUSCLES 



Muscles of the lower extremities vary much in size because of the 

 great difference in degree of activity. In some birds they are used 

 little, even for perching, while in others they may be the essential 

 means of locomotion or may serve as important tools in obtaining 

 food. Examples of typical species in the various families are shown 

 in figure 5. The smallest muscles (1.2 to 3 percent) are found in 

 trochilids, nyctibiids, alcedinids, and hirundinids ; the largest are found 

 in the tinamids, podicipedids, cathartids, cracids, phasianids, and 

 rallids (14 to 23 percent). They are larger in the male than in the 

 female in Cairina and G alius (table 1). 



