1882.] ANATOMY OF THE TODIES. 443 



warded to me, with other vahiable specimens, four examples in spirit 

 of the Tody of San Domingo {Todus dominicensis). It is on the 

 examination of these two species that the following paper is based. 



Dr. Murie has given us, in his article on Todus,^ an exhaustive 

 account of the opinions held by previous writers as to the position 

 of the Todies, as well as a valuable description of their osteology, 

 and reference to what was known of their visceral anatomy. To this 

 paper I therefore refer any reader interested in the literary history 

 of the group in question. Since its publication Sundevall, Gariod, 

 and Sclater have all treated of the classification of birds. 



The Swedish ornithologist ^ relying as usual solely upon external 

 characters, was misled into placing Todus amongst the Passeres, in 

 the close vicinity of the Tyrauuidae and Pipridse, though in the 

 same year Mr. Sclater pointed out^ the impropriety of such a 

 position. 



Garrod at first * made the TodincB with doubt a subfamily of the 

 Coraciidse, the MomotincB forming another ; but subsequently, on 

 discovering that the Momotidse lacked colic caeca % removed the 

 latter altogether from the group of Passeriformes, and, adopting the 

 opinion of Murie, Sclater, and others as to the close affinities of 

 Todus to the Motmots, included the Todidae with them, the two 

 " almost certainly forming a single family." Mr. Sclater, in his 

 lately published opinions on the classification of birds ^ maintains his 

 earlier view, the Todidae being placed nearest the Momotidae. My 

 better opportunities for observation do not allow me to fall in with 

 the opinion of the last two distinguished naturalists. Reserving 

 for the present comparison, I append my notes on the dissection 

 of the two species of Todus I have examined. 



The tongue is elongated, about '75 inch long, flat and thin, nearly 

 parallel-sided, though slightly tapering apically, and of horny con- 

 sistence for most of its length. The root of the tongue, which is 

 more fleshy, has some small spines develoj)ed along its base and for 

 a short distance along the lateral margins. These margins anterior 

 to this are frayed-out or ciliated, the direction of the laminae so 

 produced being backwards ; the tip itself is quite entire. There is 

 no crop ; the proventriculus is, as usual, zonary ; and the stomach 

 (containing insects and seeds in the specimen examined) is a fairly 

 muscular gizzard, lined by hard epithelium. The right lobe of the 

 liver is much larger than the left. The intestines are remarkably 

 short, their total length not exceeding 3j inches. The caeca are 

 well- developed^, and large for the size of the bird, measuring about 

 one third of an inch. Their shape is that constantly met with in all 

 the non-Passerine Anomalogonatous birds possessing caeca — narrowed 



' " On the skeleton of Todus, with remarks as to its allies," P. Z. S. 1872, pp. 

 6«i-680, pi. Iv. 



^ 'Tentamen,' p. 60: Stockholm, 1872. 



^ Ibis, 1872, p. 179. ^ Coll. Papers, p. 216. 



° L. c. p. 427. The contrary had been asserted by Blylh and Murie. 



6 Ibis, 1880, p. 4U1. 



' They are erroneously stated by Duveriioy (Anat. Comp. Cuv. iv. [2] 

 p. 284) to be absent. 



