THE AMERICAN NA TURALIST. [Vol. XXXVII. 



we will eventually come to a knowledge of the kinships of the 

 kingfishers with other groups of birds. 



To me, it is not difficult to see the reason for Huxley's 

 remarks when he said " Alee do and Dacelo repeat the structure 

 observed in Gcococcyx, with minor modifications, and that "the 

 Alecdinidie [approach] the Pelargomorph?e " (Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 1867, pp. 447 and 467). 1 



Already I have committed myself to the belief that the Hal- 

 cyones are most nearly related to the Galbulidae. Still, I think 

 so, but I likewise think that the osteological resemblances will 

 best be seen when we come to compare the skeletons of certain 

 jacamars with the more aberrant Daceloninac, 



The specimen of Jacamar (sp. ?) now at my hand shows in 

 its skull some characters that agree pretty well with the corre- 

 sponding ones in the skull of Ccrylc cabamsi, but as a whole the 

 Jacamar's skull agrees equally well, and in some respects better, 



entire orbital septum ; in having a remarkably long post-frontal 

 process, with a complete abortion of the squamosal process ; and 



perhaps some other more nearly related Kingfisher.* 

 W ith respect to the sternum, we remember that the fore-part 

 the carina in Ccrylc alcyon and Ccrylc cabanisi differ con- 

 ilerably in their form. Now, the fore-part of the sternum, the 

 .rina of the same, and the costal processes in this Jacamar, 



