﻿OSTEOLOGY OF SARCOPS CALVUS. 267 



Comparing them character for character in all of their minor details, 

 the bones of the limbs in Sarcops stand in better agreement with the 

 corresponding ones in Lamprocorax than they do with those of Oriolus, 

 and especially in the matter of those characters I have noticed above. 



Further account of the osteology of the limbs of certain passerine 

 birds more or less related to Sarcops are presented in my paper on the 

 skeleton of Sturnclla, cited above, and these may be compared by any 

 one desiring such information, although this can only be considered of 

 any taxonomic value whatever, when taken in connection with the char- 

 acters presented on the part of the skulls and trunk skeletons of the 

 various species considered. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



Judging from the osteological characters of the material upon which 

 the present examination is based it is clear that the representatives of 

 the genus Sarcops are strictly passerine forms. In them the skull is 

 very distinctive, and in a few particulars quite unlike any of the typical 

 Icteridce. This does not apply to the remainder of the skeleton. Unfor- 

 tunately, Goodfellowia has not been compared osteologically in the present 

 connection, but it may be said that in cranial characters Lamprocorax 

 panayensis comes much nearer Oriolus chinensis than Sarcops approaches 

 either of them. In fact, the skull in the latter is not particularly icterine 

 in character, while in the morphology of the bones of its face it stands 

 nearer the orioles than it does to species as the American marsh black- 

 birds, such as Xanthocephalus and its allies, although in other characters 

 it approaches them. 



It will require further examinations and comparisons with other re- 

 lated birds of the Philippine avifauna, and especially Goodfellowia, before 

 a more definite opinion can be given as to the exact relationships of the 

 species now included in this genus. 



