State of the Systema Avium. 347 
17. Laniidee. 20. Meliphagide. 
18. Corvidee. 21, Nectariniide. 
19. Paradiseidee. 
> 
Series B. TANAGROID PASSERES. 
Wing with 9 primaries, the first of which is fully developed and 
usually very long. 
1. Motacillidee. 6. Ampelide. 
2. Mniotiltide. 7. Hirundinide. 
5. Cerebide. 8. Tanagride. 
4, Drepanidee. 9, Fringillide. 
5, Diceidee. 10. Icteridee. 
Series C. StuRNoID PASSERES. 
Wing with 10 primaries, the first of which is rudimentary. 
1. Ploceide. 3, Artamidee, 
2. Sturnide. 4, Alaudidee. 
The objection to this arrangement is that it separates some 
very nearly allied forms far too widely. The “ spurious pri- 
mary” which Mr. Wallace relies upon to divide his Tana- 
groids and Sturnoids is not always even a generic character. 
In Vireo, for example, it varies in the different species, 
being present in some and absent in others. Mr. Wallace 
puts the Alaudide amongst his Sturnoids ; but in some Larks 
(Calandrella &c.) the spurious primary is altogether wanting. 
The Ploceidee and Fringillidee, which are barely distinguish- 
able as families, fall under different heads, as do the Stur- 
nidee and Icteride. Yet there cannot be a doubt as to the 
intimate connexion of the two last-named families. 
In my opinion Sundevall’s groups of the Oscines are 
therefore far more naturally conceived; and in our ‘ No- 
menclator’ I have nearly followed them, using only the more 
familiar expressions ending in “rostres,’ throughout the 
divisions. Thus :— 
Sundevall’s Cichlomorphee =Oscines dentirostres of the ‘ Nomenclator,’ 
” Conirostres = Oscines conirostres 5) 
+ Coliomorphee* =Oscines cultrirostres 6 
3 Cianyrimorphe = Oscines tenuirostres op 
*p Chelidomorphe = Oscines latirostres a 
* Mr. Sharpe’s “ Coliomorphee ” (Cat. Birds, iii, pp. 3, 4) is quite a dif- 
