470 DR. R. W. SHUFELDT ON [NoV. 16, 



On the Mode of Insertion of the Patagial Muscles 

 of the Pectoral Limh. 



Having considerable faith in the value in classification of the 

 arrangement of the insertional extremities of the tendon of the tensor 

 patagii brevis muscle, and the forms of the patagial muscles gene- 

 rally, as single characters, it was with no little interest that I 

 carefully removed with my scalpel the integuments over this region, 

 for the first time in ray experience in Oeococcyx. The late Mr. 

 Garrod's excellent work in this direction is now familiar to all 

 ornithologists ; but on this occasion I refrained from consulting any 

 of the accurate drawings he has left us illustrating these parts in 

 many groups of birds until I had actually completed my dissection, 

 and my drawing of it, which is shown in Plate XLIII. fig. 2. I then 

 opened his " Collected Scientific Papers " and proceeded to compare 

 my figure with his numerous illustrations of the same dissection 

 among other birds. 



Being familiar with the arrangement of this tendon in a great 

 many North- American birds from my own labours, I was confident 

 that the condition of things in Oeococcyx californianus was a marked 

 departure from anything I had previously met ; nor did I expect 

 to find anything in Garrod's illustrations that would prove to 

 be exactly like it. But in this last hope I was very agreeably 

 disappointed, for I find that it corresponds almost exactly with the 

 state of affairs found by this talented anatomist to be present in 

 certain Galbulidee. To satisfy one's self of this fact it is but necessary 

 to compare my figure with the Jacamar dissected by Mr. Garrod, 

 as shown in his work (plate 23. fig. 1, tendon of tensor patagii 

 brevis in Urogalba paradisea), and the striking resemblance will be 

 at once appreciated. He has simply cleared his tendon more 

 completely of its investing fascia than I have, and still further 

 separated its several slips ; while in my figure of Oeococcyx the 

 tendon is shown as it presents itself immediately after turning back 

 the integuments, or, in other words, exactly in situ. The liberty 

 taken by Mr. Garrod to still further show these slips and their exact 

 insertions is perfectl}' permissible, and often resorted to for the 

 purpose named. 



It will be seen that after the tendon of the tensor jMtagii brevis 

 arrives over the proximal third of the belly of the extensor metacarpi 

 radialis longior muscle in Oeococcyx it trifurcates, one slip passing 

 downwards to become inserted immediately below and on the outer 

 aspect of the extensor carpi ulnaris muscle ; the shortest slip at 

 once attaches itself to the extensor tnetacarpi radialis longior, while 

 the longest division of all passes with the last-named muscle to 

 become inserted with it upon the outer condyle of the humerus. 



As for the muscular portion of these patagial muscles above in 

 this Ground-Cuckoo, I have represented them with the arm turned 

 somewhat differently than the position Mr. Garrod was wont to give 

 it. It will be seen, however, that the bulk of this muscular portion 

 in Oeococcyx, as in Urogalba, belongs to the tensor patagii brevis 

 muscle. 



