622 MR.A.G. BUTLER ON THE SPECIES OF CHARAXES. [Nov. 14, 
Subclavius muscle.—Narrow below the bone; anterior muscles - 
of neck long and strong. 
* Contents of Stomach.—Only a number of minute dark-coloured 
stony particles, but no other food.” 
The sternum of Nasiterna, which is the only part of its osseous 
structure to which I have paid any attention, has the usual cha- 
racteristic form of that of the Pstttacide. It is, however, rather 
shorter in proportion to its length than in most species of the group. 
There is no trace of a furcula. The two posterior foramina, which 
are present in most of the sterna of the Psittacide, except in the 
Cacatuine, are well marked. 
As regards the best position for Nasiterna in the series of Psit- 
tacide I am not able to give a decided opinion without further ex- 
amination of the structure of the whole group. In its spinous tail 
it is conspicuously different from every other Psittacine form. I 
cannot agree with those authorities who have placed it with the 
Cockatoos, to which, in my opinion, it presents no sort of resem- 
blance. The Cockatoos have mostly the top of the head bare of 
feathers, and covered by a crest of elongated plumes, which rise 
from the front of the head. There is nothing of this sort in Nast- 
terna. The Cacatuine have also a well-developed furcula, and no 
foramina in the posterior end of the sternum. In Nasiterna the 
furcula is absent, and the foramina are present. Nor can we asso- 
ciate Nasiterna with the Lories, as its tongue does not present the 
characteristic formation of that division of the Psittacide. There 
remain only the true Parrots (Psittacine) and the Broad-tails 
(Platycercine). In the latter group the furcula is usually absent, 
which is also the case with Nasiterna. But in other respects Nasi- 
terna presents but little resemblance, either in form or in habits, to 
the Platycercine, which are mostly ground-loving birds; whereas 
Nasiterna is stated to be exclusively arboreal. I should therefore 
be rather inclined to place it as an aberrant form of the Psittacine, 
amongst the weaker members of which the furcula is also deficient, 
unless it can be allowed to stand as the type of a distinct subfamily, 
which would probably be more correct. 
I trust that Mr. Otto Finsch of Bremen, who is now engaged on 
the preparation of a Monograph of the Psittacide, and to whom I 
propose to send my specimens of this curious bird for examination, 
will be able to give a more satisfactory account of its affinities. 
2. MoNOGRAPH OF THE SPECIES OF CHARAXES, A GENUS OF 
Driurnat Lepiporrera. By Artuur G. Buruer, F.Z.S., 
AssisTANT, ZOOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT, British Museum. 
(Plates XXXVI., XXXVII.) 
_ This monograph contains an account of all the species in the Na- 
tional Collection, together with others described in recent publica- 
tions. . 
