ANATOMY OF GKUIFORM BIRDS. 423 



windpipe, and is not to be regarded as a character of systematic 

 value. 



Shoulder-girdle articulation. — In text-fig. 5 I give drawings of 

 the relations of the coracoid, scapula, and clavicle, to which 

 Fdrbringer has paid so much attention in his great monograph on 

 Birds. Fiirbringer has fi.gured the same structures in the case of 

 Grus, Psophia, Aranius, Eurypyga, Dicholojjhibs, and Otis (Morph. 

 u. System, der Vogel, 1888, pi. ii., figs. 40-45). Comparison of his 

 figures with those that I give here, will show tha.t, within the limits 

 of Gruiform birds, the characters vary considerably and are difficult 

 to value for systematic purposes. Balearica agrees very closely 

 with the figure Fiirbringer gives for Grus, except that the pro- 

 coracoidal process is not quite so large. My figure of Grus, which 

 applies equally to G.. atcstralasiaua and to G. carunculata, shows 

 much closer articulation of the clavicle and scapula than was 

 figured by Fiirbringer, as well as a smaller procoraeoidal process. 



Aramus giganteus diflers from the figure given by Fiirbringer, 

 possibly for A. scolopaceus, in that the articular end of the clavicle 

 forms a broad flattened plate articulating with the scapula. 



Rhinochetus has a large procoracoid, and very slight articulation 

 of clavicle and scapula. According to Fiirbringer, Psophia shows 

 the most complete articulation of scapula, clavicle, and procoracoid. 



Systematic Position of Aramus. — I have already shown (P. Z. S. 

 1901, pp. 629-655) thsit A . scolopaceus fitted naturally with Grui- 

 form birds, and the examination of A. giganteus confirms this in 

 every respect. 



