-418 MR. A. H. GARROD ON THE ANATOMY OF COLITJS. [May 2, 



Dr. Murie ; the crenulation, however, of the lateral margins of 

 the keel-bearing middle xiphoid process is not apparent. The 

 bone resembles that of the Capitonidae more than the sternum of 

 any other bird (see, for comparison, Ey ton's ' Osteologia Avium,' 

 plate 8). 



In the structure of its soft parts Colius presents several interest- 

 ing features which assist in the determination of its affinities. 



The skin is particularly tough, much like that of the Swifts in 

 this respect. Only one carotid artery is present, the left. In the 

 Musophagidee, Cuculidae, Coraciidae, Galbulidce, and Alcedinidae we 

 know that both a right and a left artery are always developed * ; 

 whilst in the Bucerotidae Toccus possesses only the left, Buceros 

 having both, — the left only being found, as in Colius, in the Picidac 

 (i. e. Picinae, Ramphastinae, and Capitoninae), Upupidae, Meropidae, 

 Trogonidae, and Passeres. As far, therefore, as the carotid arteries 

 are concerned, the Colies do not resemble the Musophagidae, their 

 supposed nearest allies. The comparison with Parrots must be re- 

 served till further on. 



Myologically, Colius wants the ambiens muscle. It is therefore 

 Anomalogonatous "f , and agrees with the passeriform and piciform 

 birds only, differing essentially from the Musophagidae. The femoro- 

 caudal is well developed, but has no accessory head. The semi- 

 tendinosus and its accessory head are both fairly developed. The 

 myological formula of the bird on the system adopted by me in my 

 paper on Classification, just referred to, is A,XY, the same as that 

 of most passeriformes and piciformes, but differing importantly from 

 that of the Musophagidae (A13,XY) in the absence of B, the acces- 

 sory femoro-caudal muscle. The tensor fascics of the thigh does 

 not in the least cover the biceps muscle. 



In the arrangement of its plantar tendons Colius, although so 

 peculiar and uncertain in the manner in which it employs its toes, 

 exactly resembles the feeble-footed Alcedinidae, and hardly differs 

 from the Coraciidae, Meropidae, Bucerotidae, and Caprimulgidae. 

 In Musophaga the distribution of the tendons is on quite another 

 principle, as it is' in the PsittaciJ. 



The intestines of Colius are voluminous and short, being only 

 9 inches in length. I could find no trace of intestinal caeca. 

 Nitzsch has shown that the oil-gland is tufted, and that there are ten 

 rectrices. 



In my paper on the classification of birds I proposed to distribute 

 the Anomalogonatae into two groups, according to whether the caeca 

 are present and at the same time the oil-gland is nude, or the 

 caeca are absent and the oil-gland is tufted, arranging them in the 

 following manner : — 



* P. Z. S. 1873, p. 4C,4. 

 t P. Z. S. 1*74. p. 116. 

 \ Vide P. Z. S. lS7. r ., p. 339 



