﻿86 
  Dr. 
  Tx.W. 
  Shufeldt 
  o;/ 
  

  

  Both 
  of 
  the 
  authorities 
  vre 
  have 
  quoted 
  above 
  are 
  verj"- 
  

   \nde 
  of 
  the 
  mark 
  in 
  tliis 
  matter^ 
  as 
  I 
  shall 
  attempt 
  to 
  show 
  

   in 
  the 
  present 
  contribution 
  to 
  tlie 
  subject. 
  Let 
  me 
  state, 
  in 
  

   the 
  first 
  place, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  my 
  object 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  here 
  

   the 
  affinities 
  of 
  cither 
  the 
  Swifts 
  or 
  the 
  Humming-birds 
  ; 
  

   indeed, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  I 
  am 
  prepared 
  to 
  say 
  but 
  

   little 
  more 
  than 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  especially 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  

   former 
  : 
  and 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  former, 
  the 
  Swifts 
  themselves, 
  they 
  

   are 
  undoubtedly, 
  as 
  say 
  both 
  Parker 
  and 
  Huxley, 
  related 
  

   most 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  Swallows^, 
  and 
  I 
  place 
  great 
  store 
  

   by 
  what 
  the 
  two 
  last-mentioned 
  authorities 
  say 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  comparative 
  morphology 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  the 
  deductions 
  to 
  

   be 
  made 
  therefrom. 
  Again, 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  true 
  affinities 
  

   of 
  birds, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  groups 
  we 
  are 
  about 
  

   to 
  compare, 
  we 
  should 
  not 
  rest 
  satisfied 
  with 
  simply 
  con- 
  

   trasting 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  corresponding 
  " 
  osteological 
  struc- 
  

   tures 
  ^' 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  groiips, 
  or 
  with 
  comparing 
  " 
  their 
  bills." 
  

   Nor 
  should 
  we 
  be 
  lulled 
  into 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  what 
  Professor 
  

   Huxley 
  pleases 
  to 
  call 
  absolute 
  " 
  cocksureness 
  " 
  of 
  our 
  con- 
  

   victions 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  matter, 
  from 
  the 
  additional 
  facts 
  that 
  

   Swifts 
  and 
  Humming-birds 
  both 
  give 
  vent 
  at 
  times 
  to 
  a 
  sharp 
  

   twittering 
  note, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  superficial 
  resemblance 
  

   in 
  their 
  pectoral 
  limbs, 
  and 
  some 
  very 
  few 
  other 
  points 
  super- 
  

   ficially 
  alike 
  ; 
  but 
  Ave 
  should, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  critically 
  

   compare, 
  in 
  a 
  scientific 
  manner, 
  everything 
  that 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  

   the 
  two 
  groups 
  under 
  consideration, 
  for 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  only 
  can 
  

   the 
  real 
  truth 
  be 
  arrived 
  at. 
  

  

  Now 
  I 
  consider 
  the 
  Swifts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  to 
  constitute 
  the 
  

   suborder 
  Cypseli, 
  and 
  the 
  Humming-birds 
  to 
  constitute 
  

   another 
  suborder, 
  the 
  Trochili. 
  To 
  properly 
  contrast 
  the 
  

   many 
  and 
  fundamental 
  differences 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  

   groups, 
  we 
  will 
  arrange 
  the 
  data 
  in 
  double 
  columns, 
  mucli 
  

   after 
  the 
  forcible 
  fashion 
  of 
  those 
  savants 
  who 
  are 
  wont 
  to 
  

  

  * 
  Parker, 
  Wm. 
  Kitchen, 
  F.E.S. 
  ' 
  The 
  Zoologist,' 
  March 
  1SS9, 
  pp. 
  2, 
  3. 
  

   I 
  agree 
  with 
  my 
  friend 
  Dr. 
  Shufeldt 
  that 
  the 
  Swallow 
  and 
  Swift 
  are 
  

   near 
  akin." 
  

  

  Huxley, 
  Thos. 
  H., 
  F.E.S. 
  P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1867, 
  p. 
  452. 
  ''And 
  the 
  Swifts 
  

   essentially 
  resemble 
  the 
  Swallows, 
  though 
  the 
  form 
  and 
  proportions 
  of 
  the 
  

   palatine 
  bones 
  are 
  somewhat 
  different." 
  

  

  