1242 CLASS AVES. 



Zealand, and the Cacatuidcz (Cockatoos) of Australia, have not yet 

 been recorded in a fossil state. 



Suborder 21. Picari^e. — The Picaria are a somewhat hetero- 

 geneous group of Birds, of which it will be unnecessary to mention 

 all the families, since only a few are definitely in a fossil condition. 

 To the African Musophagidce, or Plaintain-cutters, it is thought the 

 extinct Necrornis, from the Miocene of Gers, may possibly belong. 

 The remarkable Leptosomatidce, of Madagascar, which connect the 

 Coraaidce with the Cuculidce, are represented by a species of the 

 type genus Leptosoma in the Allier Miocene. The latter deposits 

 have also yielded a species of Trogon, the type of the family Tro- 

 gonidce. Ltmnatornis, of the same beds, is referred to the Upupidce, 

 or Hoopoes ; while it is considered that the Upper Eocene Cryptor- 

 nis may belong to the Bucerotidce, or Hornbills, of the Ethiopian 

 and Oriental regions. The Alcedinidcs, or King-fishers, are repre- 

 sented in the London Clay by Haley or nis ; while in the Picidce. 

 (Woodpeckers) we have the existing genus Picus in the Middle 

 Miocene of Isere and the Lower Miocene of Allier, and the extinct 

 Uintornis in the Eocene of Wyoming. Finally, the Cypseltdce, or 

 Swifts, are known to have existed since the Allier Miocene, where 

 we find a species of the type genus Cypselus closely allied to existing 

 forms. 



Suborder 22. Passeres. — Of the Passeres, the last and most 

 highly organised group of the class, an enormous number of living 

 genera and species are known ; but from the comparatively small 

 size of the majority of species, and the difficulty of distinguishing 

 even genera by fragmentary bones, scarcely anything is known of 

 their palaeontological history. To the Alaudidce (Larks) has been 

 provisionally referred Protornis, from the Lower Eocene of Glarus 

 in Switzerland ; and Alauda is recorded from the Upper Pliocene 

 of Italy. In the Corvidce (Crows) the type genus Corvus has been 

 described from the Allier Miocene. In the Pleistocene of Rodriguez 

 the extinct Necropsar is a Starling {SturnidcB) closely allied to the 

 pied and crested Fregilopus of Reunion, which also appears to have 

 recently become extinct. Among the F?'ingillid<z (Finches) Loxia 

 and Passer are provisionally recorded from the Allier Miocene ; and 

 to this family may perhaps be referred the extinct genus Palceospiza, 

 from the Upper Eocene of Colorado. Finally, we have a repre- 

 sentative of the Laniidce, or Shrikes, in a species of Lanius from 

 the Allier Miocene ; while the Sittidce. (Nuthatches) date their exist- 

 ence at least from the fossil Sitta of the Montmartre Eocene, and 

 are also represented by a species in the Upper Pliocene of Italy. 

 Lastly, the cave-deposits of Brazil have yielded remains of several 

 existing forms of Passerines, among which it will suffice to mention 

 a species of Swallow (Hirundo). 



