272 PEOFESSOR "W. K. PAEKEE ON THE 



number of forms which would connect these families together. In nearly all that 

 distinguishes a Bunting from a Finch this bird agrees with our native kinds ; the 

 most that can be said is that its rostrum is more Fringilline. But even here the Snow- 

 Bunting comes in, whose rostrum has its special Emberizine characters much softened 

 down from what we see in E. miliaria. 



After the Cardinals and the Buntings have been culled out from among the typical 

 families, there remain whole hosts of genera, certain groups of which, perchance, would 

 be found to possess cranio-facial specializations as important as those I have just 

 described. 



Example 51. Skull of Grosbeak {Coccothraustes vulgaris). Family FringiUidse. 



Group Oscines. 

 Habitat. Great Britain. 



We come now to those lesser Conirostral Passerines in which that kind of speciali- 

 zation is required by which a bird of this order may become a fruit-breaker or a corn- 

 husker. These results are arrived at in the skulls of these birds without any of that 

 superadded desmognathism which is seen in certain southern types, such as GynmO' 

 rhina, Artamus, &c. (Part I. pis. Iviii. & Ix.). I shall select one of the largest, or 

 northern, and one of the smallest, or southern, Fringilline forms, for the description of 

 this kind of ^githognathous skull, and then give a median type. Then the Lark's 

 skull will connect these stout-faced forms with those of the soft-billed songsters. 



There are certain secondary modifications of the skull of the Grosbeak which remind 

 the observer of what is seen in that of a Parrot ; but these are merely isomorphic, and 

 no two skuUs within the range of this Class can be found more entirely different in 

 their morphology. All that ridgy strength seen in the skull of Coccothraustes, and 

 the very useful although extremely rough hinges formed by the apposed bones when 

 the rostrum and hinder face and skull meet — these modifications are required for 

 mechanical purposes in this strong-headed bird, and have little morphological meaning. 

 The quadrate is perfectly Fringilline ; but the parasphenoid (Plate L. figs. 1 & 3, ])a.s) 

 is narrow, and has its lower surface smoothly rounded for the adapted superior surface 

 of the pterygo-palatine arcade, by which it is most closely embraced (fig. oj. In Parrots 

 that arcade embraces the parasphenoid very little, and the lower surface is carinate and 

 not rounded. The strong, straight, ridgy pterygoids [pg) have a very perfect cup for 

 the ball on the fore edge of the quadrate, and above this cup the most notable epiptery- 

 goid hook {e.pg) to be seen in the " Carinatse." Tlie anterior spatulate part of the bone 

 is two fifths the length of the whole ; and the raised margin of the spatula runs, below, 

 as a ridge on the shaft ; this part has a long ligamentous attachment to the palatine. 

 The amount of modification undergone by the palatines may be seen if the primary 

 form of the palatine bar of a Passerine bird be considered ; and that is the same 

 in all. 



