PLATALKID.K — TIIK SI'OON DILLS — AJAJA. 



101 



The iiluivt' (liagiid.si^. is .suHicicnt to ( liiiriictcri/c tliis wt'll-iuiirktMl j^roup of \nn\n. 

 Till' Siiooiiliills iuv very iiitiiiiatcly rciatt'd lo the Utist's, the only cssi'iitial tlillVrcncos, 

 so fill' as t'xti'rual tVaturos aro coiuHTiu'tl, lu-iiig in the form of tho hill. 



Seven species of the family are known. ( ' one of these heiiif,' American; one is 

 .Vfrican, two Anstralian, two I'ahi'arctic, and one a native ol the l'liilii>pine Islands. 

 Tlnce of the si.K exotic species we have not seen, namely, I'/titd' » mtijor, 'I'v.mm., 

 Sciii.Ko. of .lapan, Lnirrrodins frniiirosfn's (Thm-M.) of Africa, and L. /ii.-:oii!e>is!s 

 (Scoi'.) of the Philippines. The remainin,t,' species, however, are now lieforo ns, 

 and appear to he each assi^'nablo to a tlistiuet yenus, the generic characters of each 

 are as follows : — 



Genera of Plataleidse. 



A. Bill Idii),' and narrow, its )»rcfttust lireadtli nut UKin; tiiaii onii fourth the length of the culmcn. 



Silk's luul top of tliL' head feathered in the adidt. Phiuiage of the neck normal and com- 

 pact. 

 a. OccijnU crested ; Icrtiah and juynlar feathers iinniuil. 



1. Flatalea.' Forehead feathered. Tarsus nearly twice tho niiihllc toe ; hare portion of tibia 



longer than niiihlle toe. 



2. Spatberodia.'^ Forehead eompletely naked. Tai-sus much less tlmn twice the middle toe ; 



bare portion of tiliia shorter than middle tou. 

 h. Occiput not nvntal ; tcrtiah with their louvr vrbs decompoaed, the fibrUlf lony, pendant, hair- 

 like ; jiiijnlar feathers acicular, stijfish. 



3. Platibia.s Anterior part of forehead hare (also orbital, malar, and gular regions, the pos- 



terior outline Well delined and nearly vertical). Tarsus nearly twice the length of the 

 nnddle toe ; bare portion of tibia longer than nnddle toe. 



B. Bill rather short, very broad, its greatest l)readth about one third the length of the culmen. 



Sides and top of the heail completely naked in the ndult. Plumage of the neck short 

 and downy. 



4. Ajaja. Tarsus but little longer than nnddle toe ; bare portion of tibia shorter than 



middle toe. 



Genus AJAJA, Rkichenbach. 



jljaja, Reichenb. Handb. 1851, xvi. Type, Platalcn ajaja, Lin'N. 



Gex. Char. Bill much expanded and excessively depressed terminally, the tip decurved, 

 much broader than deep at the base, the middle portion contracted to considerably less than one 

 half the width of the terminal " disk." Nostrils sub-basol, superior, neai' together, longitudinal, 

 and without adjacent membrane. Head completely bald in the adult (feathered almost to the )jill 

 in the young). Legs comparatively short, the tarsus l)Ut little longer than the middle toe, cov- 

 ered in front, as well as all round, with small, longitudinal, hexagonal scales. Plumage of the 

 neck short, downy.* 



1 Plataica, LiNN. Syst. Nat. cd. 10, L 1758, 139 ; cd. 12, L 1766, 231. Type, P. leucerodia, Linn. 

 (Palfenrctic region). 



2 Spatlicrodia, Reiciienii. Hnndb. Sp. Orn. 1851, xvi. Type, Plataica mclanorhjinclui, REiciiKNn. = 

 P. regiu, Goulo (P. Z. S. Oct. 24, 1837, 106. — New f'nnibrin, AustriiHa). 



8 Plntcibin, BoNAV. Consp. 11. 1855, 149. Type, Plataica flavijKS, Goui.n (P. Z. S. Oct. 24, 1837, 106.— 

 New Cambria, AustraHn). 



* A peculiar modification of tlie trachea further distinguislies the genus .4jajn from Plataica, according 

 to Profossov (lAinioD (P. Z. S. 1875, p. 299, fig. 2), wlio describes this organ ns ".simple, straight, of uni- 

 form cnlibvo, and peculiarly short, extending only two thirds tlie neck, where the uncomplicated syrinx 

 is situated, and the bifurcation of the lironchi occurs." In Plataica, on the other hand, the trachea is 

 "convoluied within the thorax," etc. (see YARKELt, Hist. Brit. B. H. p. 504). 



