350 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



TABLE OF VERTEBRAE AND RIBS IN COCCYGES 





H 

 < 



B 

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Id 

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Those 

 e epi- 

 ages.) 



Those 

 t con- 

 rnum.) 



Short, 

 ages) 







ca 





PS 







^ <u 



—-•a 







w 



H 



05 

 W 



CQ 





■ ■ n! C 



C M 



c 





GENERA AND 



^ 



H 



BJ 



H 





05 a. 



•g* a 





en C 



05 a 



REMARKS 



SPFTTFS 



> 



w 





K 













IVICAL 



*SAI. V 



> 

 < 



JOSTYl 



j oi- 

 < 2 



^ ** aj 





.VIC 

 ind no 







W 



o 



«« 



> 



w 





co 







O 



c 



o 



Pu 



° 



Q 



Ok 





vULt VoLCS glctllUal lUo . . . . 



13 



4 





large 



12th, 13th* 



4 







f^iiPit1ii<i rannniQ 



14 



4 



5 



13th, 14th* 



4 





.E/Xception to the 



















rule in that the 



















pelvic ribs have 



















short costal ribs 



Geococcyx californianus. 



1 4 



4 



5 



very 



13th, 14th 



4 



I 



Costal ribs of last 











large 









pair of dorsal 



















ribs do not meet 



















the sternum. 





14 



4 



5 



not so 



12th, 13th, 



4 (4th 



I 



Pygostyle pointed 











large 



14th* 



pair*) 





superiorly 



14 



4 



5 



medium 





4 



I 



Pelvic ribs have 











in size 









connected with 



















them short cos- 



















tal ribs. 



Centropus superciliosus . 



14 



4 



5 





13th, 14th* 



4 







Diplopterus naevius .... 

 n 1 ■ 



14 



4 



6 







4 



O 





It will be observed in this table that Coccystes is stated to have 

 but 13 cervical vertebrae, as compared with 14 in all the other 

 cuckoos. As my skeleton of that species, at this writing, is a dis- 

 articulated one, it is just possible that one of the cervicals may have 

 been lost, although the count may be right, and there is no ques- 

 tion about the difference in the number of the caudal vertebrae, 

 but these are far more apt to vary in number as compared with the 

 cervical series. Otherwise, this table is substantially correct, as I 

 have compiled it with great care, a labor that has given me the 

 opportunity to revise in these particulars some of the work pre- 

 sented in previous publications on these birds. However, in any 

 event, setting exceptions aside, it may be said that the cuculine 

 type possesses 18 free vertebrae between the skull and pelvis; that 

 there are five or six caudal vertebrae, usually five ; that there are 

 from two to three pairs of cervical ribs ; and that there are invari- 

 ably four pairs of dorsal ribs, of which three or four connect with 

 the sternum by costal haemapophyses. In all that I have examined, 

 the pygostyle has a long superior border, the exception being in 

 Crotophaga, where it is pointed. This bone is pneumatic as are 

 all the other vertebrae, with the possible exception of the atlas. 



