360 On a new Genus of the Meropidce. [June, 



the several members and organs is equally and exactly applicable to 

 both species. 



Bill to head as five to four : sometimes merely equal to the head : 

 considerably depressed, except near the tip ; at base more than twice 

 as broad as high ; straight ; culmen produced among the frontal fea- 

 thers, which are soft and turned back ; sides of the maxilla cut out 

 beyond the centre by a broad membranous and plumose fosse : tomise 

 locked, trenchant, and entire ; towards the gape somewhat incurved — 

 towards the tip, straight : tip of upper mandible inclined and notched ; 

 of the lower, subrecurved and subemarginated, sometimes straight and 

 entire. Nares nearer to the tip than to the gape ; at fore end of the 

 nasal fossae, lateral, longitudinal, elliptic, large, free, shaded above by 

 a small nude process of the fossal membrane, and set over with tiny 

 incumbent hairs : gape scarcely to the fore angle of the eye and sub- 

 ciliated : wings reaching to centre of tail, firm, first quill bastard, 

 second long, fourth longest ; all four slightly emargined on their inner 

 web. Tail composed of twelve firm feathers, rather longer than in 

 Turdus, the four laterals gradated in a small degree, more than in 

 Turdus. 



Tarsi submedial, stout, rather longer than the central toe, usually 

 smooth, sometimes crossed by three or four scales. 



Toes simple, ambulatory, compressed, moderately unequal; outer ba- 

 sally connected ; hind stouter and subdepressed. 



Nails compressed, obtuse : the central fore with both margins dilated 

 but entire. 



Head furnished with a soft, full, garruling crest. Tongue simple, 

 flat, medial, subcartilaginous, with cartilaginous, subjagged, tip. 

 Stomach muscular, of medial subequal thickness, the lining tough and 

 grooved. Intestinal canal 20 to 25 inches long, of subequal calibre 

 throughout ; close to anal end, two grain-like caeca. 



The intestines are longer in proportion than those of Turdus : but 

 otherwise similar. 



VI. — On a New Genus of the Meropidce. — By the same. 



Order Insessores ; Tribe Fissirostres ; Family Meropidce, Vigors. 



Order Passeres, Section Syndactyli, Cuvier. Genus new. Bucia, 

 Mihi. 



Generic character : — 



Bill much elongated and arched throughout, strong, greatly com- 

 pressed ; the sides nearly vertical, and the ridge flattened towards the 

 base. Wings moderate, full, not acuminated, fourth quill longest, 



