﻿Swifts 
  and 
  Humming-birds. 
  95 
  

  

  39. 
  Blade 
  of 
  scapula 
  nearly 
  39. 
  Blade 
  of 
  scapula 
  bent 
  at 
  a 
  

  

  straight. 
  marked 
  angle 
  at 
  its 
  posterior 
  e.x;- 
  

  

  tremity. 
  

  

  That 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  superficial 
  resemblance 
  in 
  the 
  sternum 
  

   and 
  furcula 
  of 
  a 
  Swift 
  to 
  tlie 
  corresponding 
  bones 
  in 
  the 
  

   skeleton 
  of 
  a 
  Humming-bird 
  can 
  signify 
  but 
  little 
  when 
  we 
  

   find 
  such 
  real 
  and 
  radical 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  bones 
  of 
  

   the 
  shoulder-girdle. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  as 
  exhibiting 
  affinities, 
  

   the 
  coracoid 
  is 
  a 
  far 
  safer 
  bone 
  to 
  rely 
  upon 
  than 
  the 
  

   furcula, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  I 
  have 
  elsewhere 
  said 
  " 
  Swifts 
  are 
  

   birds 
  of 
  long-sustained 
  flighty 
  Humming-birds 
  are 
  great 
  

   fliers, 
  and 
  so 
  are 
  Albatrosses; 
  and 
  were 
  we 
  to 
  increase 
  in 
  

   size 
  the 
  furcula 
  of 
  a 
  Swift 
  and 
  a 
  Humming-bird 
  to 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  that 
  bone 
  in 
  an 
  Albatross^ 
  we 
  should 
  be 
  surprised 
  to 
  

   find 
  how 
  much 
  they 
  resemble 
  each 
  other." 
  Finally, 
  in 
  the 
  

   vast 
  majority 
  of 
  birds, 
  the 
  pelvis 
  is 
  just 
  as 
  good 
  a 
  bone 
  of 
  the 
  

   skeleton 
  to 
  decide 
  kinships 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  sternum, 
  although 
  the 
  

   latter 
  bone, 
  from 
  an 
  inveterate 
  habit, 
  is 
  much 
  relied 
  upon. 
  

   The 
  availability 
  of 
  the 
  sternum 
  has 
  had 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  this. 
  

   It 
  is 
  easily 
  cleaned 
  ; 
  often 
  saved 
  by 
  taxidermists 
  ; 
  and 
  its 
  

   notches 
  are 
  easily 
  counted. 
  

  

  Finding 
  the 
  skull 
  and 
  trunk 
  skeleton 
  so 
  very 
  difterent, 
  

   fundamentally 
  different, 
  we 
  now 
  pass 
  with 
  considerable 
  confi- 
  

   dence 
  to 
  the 
  skeleton 
  of 
  the 
  limbs 
  ■^. 
  

  

  Cypseli. 
  Teochili. 
  

  

  40. 
  Humerus 
  may 
  or 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  40. 
  Humerus 
  always 
  pneu- 
  

  

  pneumatic 
  ; 
  radial 
  crest 
  claw- 
  matic 
  (y), 
  with 
  the 
  pneumatic 
  fossa 
  

   shaped, 
  produced 
  and 
  curved 
  to- 
  and 
  foramina 
  on 
  the 
  radial 
  side 
  of 
  

   wards 
  humeral 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  bone. 
  the 
  bone 
  ! 
  Radial 
  crest 
  not 
  pro- 
  

   General 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  bone 
  on 
  duced, 
  but 
  truncated. 
  Ulnar 
  crest 
  

   the 
  passerine 
  plan, 
  but 
  profoundly 
  has 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  powerful 
  

   modified. 
  decurved 
  claw. 
  A 
  very 
  peculiar, 
  

  

  characteristic, 
  and 
  remarkably 
  

   twisted 
  bone. 
  Quite 
  unique. 
  

  

  * 
  Shufeldt, 
  R. 
  W. 
  For 
  figures 
  of 
  the 
  anatomical 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  Swifts, 
  

   Swallows, 
  Humming-birds, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  types, 
  see 
  (1) 
  my 
  paper 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  in 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society's 
  Journal 
  — 
  Zoology 
  (London), 
  vol. 
  xx. 
  

   pp. 
  299-394, 
  plates 
  17-24. 
  (This 
  paper 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned 
  above.) 
  

   (2) 
  In 
  the 
  P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1885, 
  pp. 
  886-915, 
  pis. 
  Iviii.-lxi. 
  (3) 
  P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1886, 
  

   pp. 
  501-503. 
  (4) 
  On 
  the 
  Tongue 
  in 
  the 
  Humming-bird, 
  'Forest 
  and 
  

   Stream,' 
  vol. 
  xxviii 
  no. 
  25 
  (New 
  York), 
  July 
  14, 
  1887, 
  p. 
  531. 
  

  

  