﻿22 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol. 
  67 
  

  

  change 
  is 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  dotted 
  line 
  on 
  figure 
  87, 
  of 
  the 
  tongue 
  of 
  

   Pteroglossus 
  frantzii. 
  This 
  is 
  so 
  striking 
  and 
  characteristic 
  an 
  ap- 
  

   pearance 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  useful 
  for 
  taxonomic 
  purposes. 
  

  

  The 
  Picidae 
  possess 
  a 
  tongue 
  so 
  distinctive 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  that 
  

   while 
  modified 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  diet, 
  it 
  could 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  be 
  con- 
  

   fused 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  family. 
  Even 
  the 
  odd 
  little 
  piculet 
  

   Picumnus, 
  with 
  its 
  rounded 
  tail 
  so 
  unlike 
  that 
  of 
  woodpeckers, 
  has 
  

   a 
  tongue 
  which, 
  except 
  for 
  its 
  small 
  size, 
  is 
  perfectly 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  

   group 
  as 
  exemplified 
  by 
  Dryobates. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  interesting 
  

   since 
  the 
  diet 
  of 
  so 
  small 
  a 
  bird 
  must 
  much 
  more 
  nearly 
  approxi- 
  

   mate 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  creepers, 
  titmice, 
  and 
  nuthatches 
  than 
  of 
  its 
  larger 
  

   allies 
  and 
  yet 
  the 
  tongue 
  remains 
  in 
  all 
  respects 
  truly 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  

   woodpecker. 
  

  

  Typically 
  the 
  tongue 
  is 
  very 
  extensile 
  and 
  the 
  tip 
  is 
  armed 
  with 
  

   six 
  or 
  seven 
  sharp 
  backwardly 
  directed 
  barbs. 
  This 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  

   Dryobates 
  villosus 
  hyloscopus 
  (fig. 
  88), 
  Dryobates 
  nuttalli 
  (fig. 
  89), 
  

   Picus, 
  Gecinus, 
  Xenopicus 
  albolarvatus 
  (fig. 
  13), 
  Geocolaptes, 
  Den- 
  

   drocopus, 
  Centiirus, 
  Chryserpes, 
  Alicropternus, 
  Dyctiopicus, 
  and 
  

   Yungipicus. 
  Picokles 
  americanus 
  dorsalis 
  has 
  a 
  rather 
  small 
  tongue 
  

   for 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  bird, 
  while 
  the 
  barbs 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  are 
  delicate. 
  Veni- 
  

   liomis 
  cecilii 
  has 
  a 
  small 
  tongue 
  with 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  barbs 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  

   is 
  true 
  for 
  Nesoctites 
  ?nicro?negas. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  surprising 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  

   the 
  very 
  large 
  Phloeotomus 
  ptleatus, 
  with 
  its 
  large, 
  heavy 
  bill, 
  has 
  

   an 
  astonishingly 
  small 
  tongue 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  

   body. 
  The 
  tip 
  is 
  very 
  short 
  and 
  small 
  and 
  is 
  armed 
  with 
  but 
  four 
  

   or 
  five 
  barbs. 
  

  

  Colaptes 
  cafer 
  collaris 
  (fig. 
  14) 
  has 
  the 
  most 
  extensible 
  tongue, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  well 
  accommodated 
  for 
  impaling 
  objects 
  as 
  the 
  tip 
  is 
  

   not 
  as 
  sharp, 
  nor 
  are 
  the 
  barbs 
  prominent, 
  being 
  reduced 
  to 
  but 
  

   two 
  or 
  three. 
  

  

  Melanerpes 
  {formicivorus 
  bairdi, 
  fig. 
  15) 
  has 
  converted 
  the 
  barbs 
  

   to 
  hairlike 
  processes 
  and 
  Sphyrapicus 
  (thyroldeus, 
  fig. 
  16) 
  has 
  ex- 
  

   tended 
  this 
  process 
  for 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  tongue, 
  

   while 
  the 
  ability 
  to 
  project 
  this 
  organ 
  is 
  much 
  reduced. 
  

  

  The 
  wrynecks 
  or 
  Jyngidae 
  are 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  tongue 
  is 
  long, 
  worm- 
  

   like, 
  and 
  extensile, 
  the 
  sharp 
  tip 
  is 
  not 
  supplied 
  with 
  barbs. 
  In 
  this 
  

   group 
  they 
  are 
  lost, 
  and 
  the 
  tip 
  while 
  sharp, 
  is 
  smooth. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  in 
  these 
  birds 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  piculets 
  the 
  

   tail 
  is 
  soft 
  without 
  spiny 
  shafts, 
  which 
  is 
  misleading 
  from 
  a 
  taxo- 
  

   nomic 
  standpoint, 
  and 
  that 
  thus 
  in 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  groups 
  the 
  tongue 
  

   is 
  a 
  better 
  guide 
  to 
  relationship. 
  

  

  Furthermore 
  the 
  Dendrocolaptinae 
  possess 
  stiff 
  spiny 
  tails 
  which 
  

   would 
  mislead 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  allied 
  to 
  wood- 
  

   peckers 
  when 
  no 
  relationship 
  exists; 
  whereas, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  

  

  