68 Miscellaneous. 



that it is merely a deformed example of the common Brazilian 

 species. 



1. The specimen, although fully adult, is not very old, having still 

 reddish-brown cross bars on the outer web of the inner primaries. 

 The state of its wing- and tail-feathers shows clearly that it has 

 been kept in captivity. 



2. The head, body, and toes are of the same dimensions as in 

 normally developed individuals ; but the tarsns, which in an old 

 bird measures normally 7| inches*, is reduced in our specimen to 

 5| inches, the number of anterior transverse scutes being the same 

 in both (26 or 27). The bone is slightly bent inwards, thus showing 

 unmistakable signs of being malformed by rhachitic disease. Also 

 the tibia appears to be somewhat shortened. 



3. The shortness of the neck can be accounted for by the manipu- 

 lation of the stuffer ; but I must remark that in the skeleton of an- 

 other specimen likewise kept in captivity, the eleventh and twelfth 

 cervical vertebrae are affected by rhachitis ; so that in our stuffed 

 example the shortness of the neck may have been really caused by 

 an abnormal curvature of the cervical portion of the vertebral 

 column. In the skeleton mentioned the upper end of the right tibia 

 and the first phalanx of the outer toe of the same side are much 

 swoUen in consequence of osteoporosis. 



4. In the plumage not the slightest difference can be observed 

 between this and other specimens of C. cristata of the same age. 



It will be seen from these remarks that the Qariama, which is 

 easily domesticated and frequently kept in captivity, is, in this state, 

 subject to diseases of the bones, and that bodies of tame birds should 

 not be chosen for osteological preparations. 



On the Natural Affinities of the Balistidae. 

 By M. C. Dareste. 



In a memoir published in 1851 I showed that the Cuvierian order 

 Plcctognathi contains a certain number of very dissimilar forms 

 united by a very imperfect character — that it must, consequently, be 

 struck out of our classification, as M. Vogt had previously indicated, 

 but without giving any demonstration — and that the diverse types 

 united under this denomination must be referred to other groups of 

 osseous fislics. Resuming these investigations, I propose to show 

 that one of the gi"oups of the order Plcctognathi, that of the i?a7/s^cs, 

 must take its place among the Acanthopterygiaus, in the vicinity of 

 the Acanthuri and other fishes belonging to the small family of the 

 Teuthyes. 



The family of the Teuthyes, as established by Cuvier, presents, in 

 the small number of genera which he combined under this denomi- 

 nation, two very different types of organization. The Sidjans or 

 Amphacanthi, which Cuvier placed at the head of this family, differ 

 60 much from the other genera that M. Agassiz and subsequently 



* 8^-84 inches (Khenisli lueius.), according to Burmeister. 



