516 



MR. W. K. PARKER ON PALAMEDEA. 



[Dec. 8, 



a pair of floating hsemapophyses (reptilian), and these answer to the 

 fourth and fifth so-called sacral vertebrae. In the Swan these hsema- 

 pophyses are better developed, and the penultimate has a long rib 

 reaching it from the sacrum on both sides. And this brings me to 

 say that the sacrum in birds, although actually of great length, has 

 superadded to it a number of dorso-lumbar vertebrae in front, and 

 often several true caudals behind. 



Professor Owen (ibid. pi. 3. fig. 5) makes the first postfemoral 

 joint in the young Ostrich to be the first true caudal. I cannot 

 agree with him here ; for I think that the sacrum in birds is long 

 as a prolepsis of that of the mammal, but that it is an exaggeration 

 of the mammalian sacrum. In the Archeopteryx there are four 

 vertebrae behind the acetabula before we come to those marked caudal 

 by Professor Owen (ibid. pi. 4. fig. 1 c, d). This has led me to 

 run over the birds' pelves in my own collection and drawings ; and 

 the following table, which gives the number of vertebras, closely 

 embraced and tied together by the extension backwards of the iliac 

 bones behind the acetabula, in difiPerent birds, is the result of my 

 observations. I shall remark upon the bearings of these facts after- 

 wards. 



Table. 



& 



a 



a 

 o 



3 



m 



Corvus frugilegus 4 



Gymnorhina tibicen 4 



Turdus merula 4 



Estrelda phaeton 3 



Pyrrhula vulgaris 4 



Emberiza eitrinella 4 



Linaria chloris 4 



Pyranga rubra 4 



Loxia cardinalis 4 



Musuicapa grisola 3 



Budytes rail 4 



Pratinoola rubetra 4 



Motacilla yan-ellii 4 



Sylvia cinerea 4 



Phyllopneuste trochilus . . 4 



Parus ater 4 



Hirundo urbica 4 



rustica 4 



Sitta europaea 4 



^ Lauius collurio 4 



r Cypselus apus 4 



Caprimulginse. \ Podargus humeralis 4 



[ Caprimulgus europaeus . . 3 



r Alcedo ispida 5 



Alcedinidae. \ Upupa epops 4 



[ Daoelo giganteus 4 



Trochilus colibris 3 



Buceros ruflcoUis 6 



( Cueulus canorus 3 



Pious viridis 4 



Corythaix buffoni 4 



Ramphastos toco 6 



Agapornis pullaria 4 



Psephotis multicolor , . . . 4 



^ Psittacus erythacus ....,, 4 



Trochilidae. 

 Bucerinse. 



Zygodactyles. < 



Accipitres 

 diurnis. 



■" Falco peregrinus . 



sesalon 



tinnunculus . 



Acoipiter nisus . . . 



Buteo vulgaris . . . 



Milvus regalis . . , 



1 Circus cyaneus . . . 



— cineraceus , 



Elanus melanopterus . . 



Aquila chrysaetos 



Haliaetus albicilla . . . . 

 ^ Dicholophus cristatus . . 

 YulturinK. Neopliron percnopterus 



IUlula aluco 

 Strix flammea 

 Asio otus 

 Athene noctua 



Columba Uvia 



palumbus . 



Pigeons. 

 Cracinse. 



Phasianinse. 



Tetraoninae. 



Hemipodiin£e. 



Pteroclinae. 



Megapods. 



Eallinae. 



Ardeinse. 



/ Oreophasis derbyanus 



\ Cras globicera 



f Dendrortyx 



\ Gallus domesticus . . 



Lagopus scoticus .... 



Hemipodius varius . . 



Syrrhaptes paradoxus 



Talegalla lathami .... 



fCrex pratensis 

 Ocydromus australis 

 Gallinula chloropus . . 

 FuUca atra 



Botaurus rcinutus . . 

 Ardea cinerea 



purpurea 



_ Herodias garzetta . 



