836 ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE PALATE IN TROGONS. [NoV. 15, 



Dimensions. 



millim. 



Longueur totale 523 



J, de la tete 53 



„ du corps 260 



„ de la queue avec le poil 224 



„ ,, ,, sans poil 190 



„ du tarse jusqu'au bout des ongles 54 

 Cet exemplaire possede moins de fausses molaires que les autres 

 especes de la section des putois, c'est-a-dire une dans la machoire 

 superieure et deux dans I'inferieure ; il est cependant possible qu'il 

 les a pu perdre dans son age avance, car il presente des intervalles 

 libres pour placer ces dents anterieures. En general ses dents sont 

 plus fortes que celles de la M. macroura. 



Cette belette a ete prise dans la foret, et il parait que I'espece est 

 exclusivement forestiere, car elle est inconnue aux habitants de la ville. 

 Toutes les especes peruviennes connues precedemment, provenaient 

 des regions elevees a 8000 jusqu'a 11,000 pieds d' altitude, tandis 

 que celle-ci a ete trouvee dans la grande plaine de Maynas, elevee 

 a peine a 500 pieds au dessus du niveau de la mer. Les premieres 

 liabitent les contrees non boisees, tandis que celle-ci habite la foret 

 humide. 



3. Note on the Structure of the Palate in the Trogons 



{Trogonidx) . By W. A. Forbes^ B.A.^ Prosector to the 



Society. 



[Eeceived September 23, 1881.] 



It is my desire in the present communication to correct an error 

 which, though it has been before the ornithological world some years, 

 has hitherto apparently escaped attention — the more so, as it has 

 some bearing upon the general question of the classification of birds. 



The only description of the palate of the Trogons I have met with 

 is that contained in Prof. Huxley's celebrated paper on the Classifi- 

 cation of Birds in this Society's 'Proceedings' for 1867. It runs 

 as follows^: — "The only Trogon skull I have had the opportunity 

 of examining is that of T. reinwardti. It possesses basipterygoid 

 processes, in which respect it resembles Caprimulgus, and is unlike all 

 the other genera which remain to be mentioned. The palatines have 

 a general resemblance to those of the Musophagidse ; the vomer 

 seems to be equally rudimentary ; and the nia.villo-palati7ies, though 

 less spongy, unite in the middle line." The Trogonidse are there- 

 fore included in Prof. Huxley's Desmognathous series. 



Recent examination of the skulls of several species of Neotropical 

 Trogons (including Trogones puella, mexicanus, atricollis, and cali- 

 ffatus, and Pkaromacrus mocinno), for the opportunity of which I am 

 indebted to the kindness of Mr. Salvin, as well as of one of Harpactes 

 reinwardti (the species described by Prof. Huxley) from the Eyton 



' L. c. p. 444. 



