1 00 DR. SlICFELDT ON THE AFFINITIES [Feb. 20, 



prominent, longitudinal, the t\vo middle ones connected on the 

 disk and sending back a branch parallel to the others, all of which 

 continue out to the tip ; suture of the clavus deeply defined, the 

 clavus wide and nearly triangular. Legs stout, placed close together^ 



Oncerodes hobusta, sp. nov. 



Short, thick, very convex, opaque bluish-black, with a velvety 

 aspect above. Base of the hemlytra, including the scutellum, clavus, 

 and a spot expanded on the costal margin, bright yellow. Head 

 transversely rugulose, the front piceous, with the throat and antennae 

 dull honey-yellow; the rostrum a little darker. Legs thick and 

 short, honey-yellow. Venter dull black, rufo-piceous on the genital 

 pieces. 



Length to tip of hemelytra 1^ millim.; width of pronotum 

 ^ millim. ; width of hemelytra | millim. 



A single specimen was found on the leeward side of the island. 



In respect to form of body and longitudinal direction of veins on 

 the hemelytra this insect bears some relation to H}/pselosoma,'ReuteT ; 

 but in all other respects it seems sufficiently different to constitute 

 a separate genus. 



4. On the Affinities of the Steganopodes. 

 By Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, C.M.Z.S. 



[Eeceived January 25, 1894.] 



Recently I have written an account of the osteology of all the 

 North-American Steganopodes, illustrating it with many figures 

 of the representative species. This, extending as it would to 

 between one hundred and two hundred pages, is altogether of too 

 great length to submit on the present occasion; it may be of 

 interest, however, to offer some of the conclusions arrived at 

 with respect to the relationships of the birds constituting that 

 suborder. 



Basing then, as we do, our judgment on a study of the 

 skeletons of the Steganopodes, we are justified in regarding them 

 as being composed of three superfamilies. These may be desig- 

 nated as, first, the Pelecanoidea ; second, the Phaethontoidea ; and 

 third and lastly, the Fregatoidea. 



Arranging these, and the North-American families of them, 

 with their genera, a taxonomic scheme on such a basis would 

 stand thus : — 



Superfamilies. Families. Genera. 



(Pelecanus. 

 Phalacrocorax. 

 AnUnga. 

 Sula. 

 Phaethontoidea. Phaethontidse. Phaethon. 



Fregatoidea. Fregatidte. Fregata. 



