16 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The principal subdivisions of the Suborder Eleutherodactyli are as 

 follows: 



KEY TO THE SUPERFAMILIES OP THE SHBOKDEK ELEUTHERODACTYLI.' 



a. Syringeal muscles anisomyodous. '' ( Mesomyodi ' ) Clamatores. 



aa. Syringeal muscles diacromyodous.'' {Acromyodi.'") 



h. Syringeal muscles consisting of 2-3 pairs; propatagialis (tensor patagii brevis) 



muscle ' ' picarian " Pseudosoines.^ 



bh. Syringeal muscles consisting of 4-5 pairs; propatagialis (tensor patagii brevis) 

 muscle passerine - Oscines. 



Of these superfamilies the second (Pseudoscines) is represented only 

 in Australia. It is a very limited group, consisting of only two fam- 

 ilies, Menuridge (lyre-birds) and Atrichornithidse (scrub-birds), each 

 with only a single genus and very few species. The other two are 

 well represented in the Western Hemisphere, the Clamatores being 

 chiefly American. Further consideration of the last-named group 

 must be deferred until after the Oscines have been disposed of. The 

 latter, containing as thej' do much the greater number of passerine 

 birds (approximate^ 5,000 species and subspecies), and representing a 

 very uniform type of structure, offer by far the greatest difiiculties 

 to the systematist of any portion of the entire class of birds. The fol- 

 lowing arrangement of the so-called familiesis by no means supposed' 

 by the author to be an entirely satisfactory one, and none that can not 

 in some respect be criticised will be possible until the anatomy of a 

 far greater number of forms has been exhaustively investigated and 

 the results carefully analyzed and tabulated. 



^Eleutherodactyli Forbes, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1880, 390, 391. 



^The syringeal muscles unequally inserted in the middle or upon only one end 

 (either the dorsal or ventral) of the bronchial semirings. 



^Mesomyodi Garkod, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1876, '507. (Equivalent to the 

 Anisomyodi or Anisomyodfe of Gadow minus Eurylaimidse. ) 



*The syringeal muscles attached to both ends (the dorsal and ventral) of the 

 bronchial semirings, the two ends of the latter being thus equally connected. 



^Acromyodl Garrod, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1876, 507; Forbes, Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 Lond., 1880, 391. —Passeres diacromyodi Gadow, Bronn's Thier-Reichs, Vog., ii, 1893, 

 301. — Passeres diacromyodx Gadow, Classif. Vertebr., 1898, 38. 



^Pseudoscines Sclater, Ibis, 1,880, 345. — Fuerbringer, Unters. Jlorph. Syst. Vog., ii, 

 1888, 1556. — Acromyodi abnormales Forbes, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1880, 391; Newton, 

 Enc. Brit., xviii, 1884, 41. — Menuroidex Stejneger, Stand. Nat. Hist., iv, 1885, 460. — 

 Passeres suboscines Gadow, Bronn's Their-Reichs, Vog., ii, 1893, 277. — Suboscines 

 Gadoav, Bronn's Their-Reichs, Vug., ii, 1893, .301; Cl.assif. Vertebr., 1898, 38. 



