﻿90 
  

  

  Dr. 
  K,. 
  W. 
  Shufeldt 
  on 
  

  

  indeed^ 
  present 
  but 
  little 
  external 
  similarity;" 
  and 
  yet 
  Nitzsch 
  

   surely 
  knew 
  something 
  of 
  tlie 
  external 
  similarities 
  o£ 
  various 
  

   forms 
  of 
  birds 
  ! 
  

  

  But 
  let 
  us 
  examine 
  a 
  little 
  further 
  the 
  " 
  external 
  cha- 
  

   racters^'' 
  or 
  Topographical 
  Anatomy 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  sub- 
  

   orders 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Cypselt. 
  

  

  14. 
  Have 
  characteristic 
  parasites 
  

   that 
  infest 
  them 
  : 
  one 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  

   peculiar 
  species 
  *. 
  

  

  15. 
  "Bill 
  very 
  small, 
  flattened, 
  

   triangular 
  when 
  viewed 
  from 
  above, 
  

   with 
  great 
  gape 
  reaching 
  below 
  the 
  

   eyes 
  ; 
  unnotched, 
  unbristled, 
  the 
  

   gape 
  about 
  six 
  times 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  

   culmen. 
  Nostrils 
  exposed, 
  superior, 
  

   nearer 
  culmen 
  than 
  commissure, 
  

   the 
  frontal 
  feathers 
  tending 
  to 
  reach 
  

   forward 
  under 
  them 
  " 
  (Coues), 
  

  

  16. 
  Wing 
  has 
  10 
  primaries 
  and 
  

  

  9 
  secondary 
  quill-feathers. 
  Tail 
  of 
  

  

  10 
  rectrices. 
  

  

  Trochili. 
  

  

  14. 
  Also 
  have 
  parasites 
  infesting 
  

   them, 
  but 
  of 
  very 
  different 
  species 
  

   from 
  those 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Cypseli. 
  

  

  15. 
  "The 
  bill 
  exhibits 
  the 
  teuui- 
  

   rostral 
  type 
  in 
  perfection, 
  being 
  

   long 
  and 
  extremely 
  slender 
  for 
  its 
  

   length 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  straight, 
  subu- 
  

   late, 
  or 
  awl-shaped, 
  or 
  with 
  lancet- 
  

   shaped 
  tip 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  decurved 
  

   sometimes 
  recurved, 
  and 
  again 
  ben 
  t 
  

   almost 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  ; 
  in 
  length 
  it 
  

   varies 
  from 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  head 
  to 
  

   more 
  than 
  all 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  bird. 
  

   The 
  cutting-edges 
  of 
  the 
  mandibles 
  

   are 
  inflected 
  ; 
  the 
  rictus 
  is 
  devoid 
  

   of 
  bristles. 
  The 
  nostrils 
  are 
  linear, 
  

   with 
  a 
  supercumbent 
  scale 
  or 
  oper- 
  

   culum, 
  sometimes 
  naked, 
  often 
  fea- 
  

   thered 
  " 
  {Coucs). 
  

  

  16. 
  Wing 
  has 
  10 
  primaries, 
  

   never 
  more 
  than 
  6 
  secondary 
  quill- 
  

   feathers. 
  Tail 
  of 
  10 
  rectrices. 
  

  

  In 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  any 
  possible 
  affinity 
  is 
  concerned 
  as 
  existing 
  

   between 
  Swifts 
  and 
  Humming-birds, 
  surely 
  those 
  that 
  think 
  

   they 
  see 
  it 
  can 
  gain 
  but 
  little 
  coaifort 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  

   members 
  of 
  both 
  groups 
  possess 
  10 
  primaries 
  in 
  the 
  wing 
  

   and 
  10 
  rectrices 
  in 
  the 
  tail. 
  What 
  significance 
  can 
  it 
  possibly 
  

   have 
  when 
  Swifts 
  have 
  9 
  secondaries_, 
  Humming-birds 
  but 
  6^ 
  

   while 
  the 
  pteryloses 
  are 
  so 
  very 
  different 
  in 
  both 
  cases, 
  as 
  are 
  

   also 
  the 
  patterns 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  and 
  tails 
  themselves 
  ? 
  

  

  Caprimulgi, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  says 
  Dr. 
  Cones, 
  have 
  10 
  primaries 
  

   in 
  their 
  wings, 
  and 
  " 
  more 
  than 
  9 
  secondaries/' 
  while 
  the 
  tail, 
  

   variable 
  in 
  shape, 
  has 
  10 
  rectrices 
  ; 
  yet 
  I 
  hardly 
  think 
  that 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  paper 
  by 
  Charles 
  O. 
  Waterhouse, 
  P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1887, 
  p. 
  163, 
  

  

  