316 



UK. R. ^A^ suufeldt's moephological 



space, aud thus convert tiiese openiugs into veritable vacuities, as 

 is the case in all of the seines that I have alluded to elsewhere. 



Otocoris agrees in this respect with the Oscines, as may be 

 seen in my side-view figure of its pelvis (Contrib. Anat. Birds, 

 pi. iv. fig. 22). 



The post-pubis in Ampelis extends but slightly beyond the 

 hinder extremity of the ischium, which latter meets it behind 

 in a broad foot-like process. These parts in the dried skeleton 

 are very apt to curl outwards, and deceive us as to the true 

 shape of this part of the pelvis during life ; so that it is only in 

 fresh specimens that we can gain a correct notion of this bone 

 in most Passeres. 



This post-preparatory deformity of this part of the skeleton 

 has been taken into consideration in figure 7, and duly corrected. 



The coccygeal vertebrae and pygostyle in Ampelis require no 

 special description, for they agree in all essential ^particulars with 

 the parts as found among the Oscines generally. They are very 

 well shown in my figure of the skeleton of Otocoris, alluded to 

 above. 



In Tyrannus the coccygeal vertebrae are comparatively very 

 large and their diapophyses very broad. 



26. As we would naturally be led to suspect, the sternum of 

 Ampelis is, of course, a thoroughly Passerine one, having the 

 characteristic bifurcation of the manubrium ; the lofty costal 

 processes, the well-developed and deep carina, the cordate- 

 shaped notch on either side of the xiphoid al extremity, and the 

 Jive facets upon either of its costal borders. 



Among the American Tyrannidce the sternum has essentially 

 the same shape, but it has only /om' facets for the hsemapophyses 

 upon each of its costal borders. 



A fuller description of this bone will not be required here. I 

 have already published a pectoral view of a typical Passerine 

 sternum elsewhere (Coues's ' Key,' 2nd ed. fig. 58), aud other 

 forms of it may be seen in my figures of the sterna of Lanius, 

 Otocoris^ and others, in memoirs already cited. 



This bone will be taken into consideration again, further on, 

 when we come to treat of the sterna of the Swallows, Swifts, and 

 Humming-birds. 



27. The elements of the slioulder- girdle in Ampelis more 

 closely resemble those parts in the typical Oscines than in 

 the Clamatores. In form and arrangement they make scarcely 



