1891.] Zoology. 157 
(Bulletin U. S. Nat. Museum, 32, 1887, P. 72). It is, however, wanting 
in Spilotes proper, and curiously enough in the Rhinechis elegans, which 
is otherwise a good deal like Pityophis. It is not present in any other 
American snakes, harmless or venomous. It appears to me to bea 
character of generic importance, so I propose to separate the two 
Mexican snakes referred to from Spilotes on account of its presence 
under the name of Epiglottophis, with Æ. deppei as the type. 
Among old-world snakes it is wanting in all types, both venomous 
and harmless, The rudiment in the form of a small tubercle is present 
in the Sprlotes helenae, S. melanurus and S. samarensis ; also in the 
Rhinechis scalaris.—E. D. COPE. 
Notes on the Classification of the Pigeons.—Quite recently 
the writer has very thoroughly compared the characters presented on 
the part of the skeletons of specimens of nearly all the genera of the 
United States Columbide. There appears to bea difference of opinion 
as to how these birds should be classified. Coues, in his “ Key” 
(second edition), states it as his opinion that ‘‘ the order Columba: 
may be separated into three groups or suborders: Didi, Pterocletes, 
and Peristerze,—the first two certainly, the last probably, of a single 
family. The Peristerze alone are American. These he divides in the 
following way: 
Subfamilies. 
Suborder. . Family. 1. Columbine. 
PERISTERZ. Columbide. 2. Zenaidine. 
> ; 3. Starnænadinæ. 
In the Columbinæ he includes the genera Columba and Ectopistes ; 
in the Zenaidine, the genera Engyptila, Zenaidura, Zenaida, Melo- 
pelia, Columbigallina, Scardafella, and Geotrygon ; and finally, in the 
tarncenadinz, the genus Starnoenas. 
The American Ornithologists’ “Union, in its official check-list, pre- 
sents the order Columbz to contain the family Columbidz, and cre- 
ates no subfamilies for the genera just named above. 
Mr. Ridgway, in his “ Manual,” adopts the same scheme of classi- 
fication, 
Coues primarily bases his division of the Columbide into sub-, 
families upon the following characters : 
Tarsi scutellate, feathered ....:- Columbine. 
Tarsi scutellate, naked . .. +--+: -> Zenaidine. 
Tarsi reticulate, naked . .-.- - . . Starncenadine. 
‘The remaining characters, in so far as we have any knowledge of 
them at present, except in the case of the Starncenadinz, do not go to 
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