17 



2 3r 



THE AFFINITIES OF THE DREPANIDID.F:. 



The genera Drepanis, Vestiaria, Himatione, Loxops, Ckrysomitridops, Oreomyza, and 

 Hemignathus resemble each other so much, and differ at the same time so considerably 

 from other birds, that they may well be distinguished as Drepanididge. There remains 

 the question to which other groups or families these Drepanididse are most nearly allied. 

 Certainly not to the Dicseidse, because these can at once be distinguished, first by the 

 tongue, which ends in four equally-sized semitubular projections without the slightest 

 indication of laciniated or frayed-out margins, secondly by the distally forked spinal 

 saddle, both being characters which occur in no Cinnyrimorphse. The shape of the tongue 

 of Dicceum is unique, and the forked saddle bears the closest resemblance to that of the 

 Hirundinidse. Nor are the Drepanididse allied to the Zosteropidse, birds of which 

 the deeply forked and smooth tongues, the pterylosis, and various other characters make 

 it very doubtful whether they are rightly included among the Meliphagidse. 



If we assume that all the Oscines with tubular or with brush-shaped tongues are 

 comparatively more nearly allied to each other than to the rest of the Oscines, we can 

 arrange them as follows, using the condition of the edges of the bill and the length 

 of the tenth or terminal primary as further differentiating characters : — 



f tongue bifid, each half frayed out 



medio-ventrally Nectarinild/e. 



Tenth primary functional. | 

 about half the length of < 

 the ninth ; 



bill serrated ; 



tongue quadruple or multiple, 

 [_ frayed out latero-dorsally MeliphagidjE. 



bill smooth, but with a notch ; tongue one semi- 

 canal with dorso-laterally frayed edges Promerops. 



f bill serrated ; tongue quadruple, not frayed out . . . DioeidjE. 



Tenth primary obsolete j 



bill smooth, \ 



f without a notch ; tongue single, 



dorsally frayed Drepanididge. 



with a notch ; tongue double, dor- 

 [_ sally frayed Ccerebid^e. 



It is to be observed that if split in the middle line the tongue of the Drepanididse 

 would assume the characters of that of the Ccerebidse, while the multiple brush-tongue 

 of many of the Meliphagidee can be derived directly from the quadruple brush. It is 

 also probable that the absence or presence of serrated edges stands in correlation to 

 the structure of the tongue. The following arrangement may therefore be preferable : — 



r 



r 



single or bifid; 



Tongue frayed out, < 



f 



bill smooth ; < 



tenth primary obsolete 



I 



bill serrated ; 



C Drepanididse. 



(_CffiREBID,£. 



long Promerops. 



,, Nectariniid/e. 



„ MeLIPHAGIDjE. 



quadruple or bill mostly „ „ „ 



L multiple ; serrated ; 



Tongue not frayed, quadruple j bill serrated j tenth primary obsolete ~~ DicjEid^e. 



I 



