﻿236 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  T. 
  Blant'ord 
  on 
  >iome 
  

  

  Barbets,amougst 
  wliich 
  are 
  Megalcema 
  zeylonica 
  [M. 
  caniceps), 
  

   M. 
  lineata, 
  and 
  M. 
  virid'is, 
  Avbich 
  had 
  been 
  assigned 
  to 
  Cho- 
  

   torhea 
  by 
  Bonaparte 
  (and 
  by 
  G. 
  R. 
  Gray 
  in 
  his 
  ' 
  Hand-list 
  '), 
  

   but 
  had 
  been 
  left 
  in 
  Megakema 
  by 
  Horsfield 
  and 
  Moore 
  (Cat. 
  

   Birds 
  Mns. 
  E.I. 
  Co. 
  pp. 
  636-640) 
  and 
  by 
  Jerdon 
  ('Birds 
  of 
  

   India/ 
  i. 
  pp. 
  309-312), 
  although 
  in 
  both 
  -works 
  Cyanops 
  and 
  

   Chotorhea 
  were 
  kept 
  distinct 
  from 
  Megakema. 
  At 
  p. 
  xxxix 
  of 
  

   the 
  Monograph, 
  in 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  distribution, 
  section 
  c 
  

   is 
  classed 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  subgenera 
  of 
  yiegahema, 
  and 
  the 
  name 
  

   Megakema 
  is 
  restricted 
  to 
  it. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  Catalogue 
  all 
  Bonaparte's 
  genera, 
  

   except 
  Bkcco, 
  are 
  recognized, 
  though 
  the 
  species 
  assigned 
  to 
  

   them 
  ditier 
  widely 
  from 
  those 
  in 
  Bouaparte's 
  list. 
  Megakema 
  

   in 
  the 
  Catalogue 
  corresponds 
  to 
  sectiou 
  a 
  of 
  the 
  Monograph, 
  

   whilst 
  section 
  c 
  of 
  that 
  work, 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  section 
  b, 
  are 
  referred 
  

   to 
  Cyanops. 
  An 
  additional 
  genus, 
  Mtsobucco, 
  is 
  proposed 
  

   for 
  some 
  small 
  species 
  distinguished 
  by 
  their 
  small 
  size 
  and 
  

   long 
  rictal 
  bristles. 
  

  

  Thus 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  Megalama 
  zeylonica 
  [M. 
  caniceps) 
  

   and 
  its 
  allies, 
  the 
  section 
  c 
  of 
  ^Messrs. 
  ^larshalTs 
  Monograph, 
  

   have 
  been 
  referred 
  by 
  various 
  naturalists 
  to 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   three 
  geuera 
  Megakema 
  (restricted), 
  Cyanops, 
  and 
  Chotorhea, 
  

   and 
  the 
  first 
  change 
  that 
  I 
  would 
  suggest 
  in 
  the 
  generic 
  

   classification 
  of 
  Indian 
  Barbets 
  is 
  the 
  separation 
  of 
  this 
  

   small 
  group 
  of 
  species 
  as 
  a 
  distinct 
  genus 
  with 
  peculiar 
  

   coloration. 
  It 
  will, 
  however, 
  be 
  best 
  to 
  review 
  the 
  various 
  

   genera 
  in 
  order. 
  If, 
  in 
  doing 
  so, 
  I 
  appear 
  to 
  attach 
  more 
  

   importance 
  to 
  coloration 
  than 
  has 
  been 
  usual 
  amongst 
  orni- 
  

   thologists, 
  I 
  can 
  only 
  plead 
  that 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  feathers 
  has 
  

   been 
  shown 
  to 
  depend 
  either 
  on 
  the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  

   certain 
  pigments, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  surface-structure^, 
  and 
  in 
  either 
  

   case 
  is 
  quite 
  as 
  definite 
  a 
  structural 
  character 
  as, 
  for 
  in- 
  

   stance, 
  the 
  shape 
  that 
  the 
  feathers 
  assume. 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  MegaJama 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  Catalogue 
  is 
  

   precisely 
  equivalent 
  to 
  Bonaparte^s 
  geuus 
  Bucco 
  and 
  to 
  Mega- 
  

   kema, 
  section 
  a, 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  MarshalFs 
  ^[ouograph, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   restricted 
  to 
  two 
  species, 
  M. 
  v'lrens 
  and 
  M. 
  marshallorum. 
  

   * 
  Gadow, 
  r. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1S8-2. 
  p. 
  400. 
  

  

  