MERULID^E. 



171 



Typical Genera. 

 Malaconotus 



Thamnophilus 



Prionops 



Plumage bright ; bill more or less gradually 

 curved. Inhabits the Old World. 



Plumage dark, spotted or banded ; bill abruptly 

 hooked. Inhabits the New World. 



Bill lengthened ; head defended by setaceous 

 frontal feathers ; feet partly syndactile. 



Typical Genera. 



J Pitta. 



\ Myothera. 



Dasycephala. 

 C Indus. 



Bill lengthened, abruptly hooked ; wings broad, 

 Platylophus . . < rounded ; secondary quills and tail feathers \ Myophonus. 

 ending in fine points. 



This table may possibly appear very unsatisfactory to those who are accustomed 

 to see " a place found for every thing-, " or who imagine it necessary that circles 

 should be represented complete. It might, nevertheless, be reasonably supposed 

 that Colurisoma would very well fill up the blank in our first column ; and, indeed, 

 many apparently strong 1 and cogent reasons might be urged on the probability of 

 such being its natural station ; but we rather choose, for the present, to confess our 

 doubts on the subject. With regard to the Australian and Madagascarian Vangce, 

 there are so many important facts to be considered and discussed before their true 

 situation in nature can be made out, that we even feel uncertain to what primary 

 group among the haniadw they truly belong ; and these considerations have ren- 

 dered us doubly fearful of violating nature, to give a fictitious perfection to this 

 last table. 



The mistake we formerly committed, in common with all other ornithologists, 

 of placing the Dasycephalce with the Tyrant Flycatchers, led us to inquire in what 

 way the strong resemblance between these two groups could be explained ; whe- 

 ther, in short, the relation was one of affinity, or of very strong analogy. It thus 

 became necessary to compare the sub-families of the Laniadce with the genera of 

 the Myotherince. 



The following is the result : — 



Laxiad^e. 

 Sub-families. 



Latvians 

 Thamnophilin\«: 



Edolian^; 



CEBLEPYRINiE 



TyranninjE . 



'{ 



Analogies. 

 Bill short, curved from the base . 



Bill long, curved only at the end . 

 Hind toe and claw lengthened ; tail ending in 

 slender points ; rictus strongly bristled. 



Plumage particularly soft; rictus smooth 

 Base of the bill depressed, the tip abruptly 

 hooked ; rictus bristled. 



Myotherin/e- 

 Genera. 

 Pitta. 



Myothera. 



Myophonus. 

 . Cinclus. 

 > Dasycephala. 

 Z 2 



