﻿98 
  Dr. 
  R. 
  W. 
  Shufeldt 
  on 
  

  

  liowever, 
  that 
  Professor 
  Huxley, 
  who 
  has 
  carefully 
  examined 
  

   the 
  skeletons 
  of 
  Swallows 
  and 
  Swifts 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  com- 
  

   paring 
  the 
  relative 
  lengths 
  of 
  the 
  arm-bones 
  in 
  them, 
  has 
  

   said^ 
  " 
  No 
  distinction 
  can 
  be 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  

   the 
  regions 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  limb, 
  since 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  Swallows 
  which 
  

   I 
  have 
  examined 
  the 
  nianus 
  and 
  the 
  an 
  tibrachium, 
  respectively, 
  

   greatly 
  exceed 
  the 
  humerus 
  in 
  length, 
  though 
  the 
  excess 
  is 
  

   not 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  in 
  Cijpselus" 
  (P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1867, 
  p. 
  456). 
  It 
  is 
  

   no 
  wonder 
  that 
  Professor 
  Huxley, 
  at 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  his 
  

   researches 
  in 
  such 
  fields, 
  was 
  prepared 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  

   Cypselidse 
  are 
  very 
  closely 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  Swallows 
  among 
  

   the 
  Coracomorphfe 
  " 
  {he. 
  cit. 
  p. 
  469) 
  . 
  

  

  Passing 
  to 
  the 
  skeleton 
  of 
  the 
  pelvic 
  limb, 
  we 
  find 
  no 
  

   trouble 
  in 
  selecting 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  very 
  " 
  definite 
  osteological 
  

   differences,^' 
  for 
  in 
  — 
  

  

  Cypseli 
  Trochili 
  

  

  {Microjms). 
  (Trochilus 
  alexandii). 
  

  

  45. 
  Skeleton 
  of 
  the 
  pelvic 
  limb 
  45. 
  Skeleton 
  of 
  pelvic 
  limb 
  not 
  

   is 
  characteristic. 
  ' 
  especially 
  characteristic. 
  

  

  Distal 
  end 
  of 
  tibio-tarsus 
  pecu- 
  Distal 
  end 
  of 
  tibio-tarsus 
  normal. 
  

   liarl}' 
  twisted. 
  

  

  46. 
  Pro- 
  and 
  ectocnemial 
  ridges 
  46. 
  Pro- 
  and 
  ectocnemial 
  ridges 
  

   not 
  developed. 
  rudimentary. 
  

  

  47. 
  Patella 
  absent. 
  47. 
  A 
  large 
  patella 
  present. 
  

  

  48. 
  JPYiw/rt! 
  does 
  not 
  extend 
  below 
  48. 
  Not 
  peculiar, 
  

   the 
  fibular 
  ridge 
  on 
  tibia 
  (as 
  in 
  

  

  Conurus). 
  

  

  49. 
  Ilypotarsus 
  of 
  tarsu-meta- 
  49. 
  Hypotarsus 
  of 
  tarso-meta- 
  

   tarsus 
  containing 
  one 
  deep 
  groove 
  ^f/ysz^s 
  both 
  ^j/ercef/ 
  and 
  grooved 
  for 
  

   to 
  pass 
  the 
  tendons. 
  tendons. 
  

  

  60. 
  Joints 
  of 
  7;e5 
  abnormal, 
  being 
  50. 
  Joints 
  oi 
  pes 
  normal, 
  being 
  

  

  2, 
  3, 
  3, 
  3, 
  and, 
  upc.n 
  the 
  whole, 
  the 
  2, 
  3, 
  4, 
  5, 
  and, 
  upon 
  the 
  whole, 
  the 
  

  

  skeleton 
  indicating 
  a 
  very 
  weak 
  skeleton 
  indicating 
  a 
  good, 
  strong 
  

  

  foot. 
  foot 
  for 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  bird. 
  

  

  So, 
  instead 
  of 
  Cypseli 
  and 
  Trochili 
  not 
  exhibiting 
  any 
  

   ''definite 
  osteological 
  differences^' 
  in 
  their 
  pelvic 
  limbs, 
  there 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  some 
  very 
  radical 
  ones. 
  

  

  Were 
  we 
  to 
  meet 
  with 
  the 
  fossil 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  peUic 
  limb 
  

   of 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  Micropus 
  melanoleiicus, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  of 
  a 
  

   Trochilus, 
  standing 
  clearly 
  out 
  in 
  their 
  stony 
  matrix, 
  with 
  all 
  

   their 
  characters 
  in 
  view 
  — 
  tell 
  me, 
  where 
  could 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  

  

  