OAPITONlDiE. 
RESUME OF THE HISTORY. 
The Capitonidce, or Bucconidce of Brisson, so called on account of the swelling at the base 
of the lower mandible, have occupied many different places in the "schema naturte" 
according to the classifications of various systematists ; and a concise resume of the positions 
assigned to them by the principal authors who have treated on their genera, will best serve 
to indicate their characteristics. 
1788. Gmelin (Syst. Nat. i. p. 405) classifies the " Mccones'" as scansorial birds in the 
family of Piece, and places them between the Trogonidce and Cumlidce : he includes with 
them the fissirostral Puff-birds of South America under the same generic name. He gives 
eleven species of true Capitonidce, being all that were then known. 
1790. Latham, in his 'Index Ornithologicus,' follows the same classification, but adds five 
species, making sixteen in all. 
1811. lUiger (Prod. Mamm. et Av.) introduces the genus Pogonias for the African species, 
retaining Pucco for the Asiatic. This is the first division of the family into genera. 
1816. Vieillot (Diet. d'Hist. Nat.) advances a considerable step beyond his predecessors, 
as will be seen from the following notes gathered from his ' Dictionary of Natural History.' 
"■Parbus. This genus is divided into two sections, the first has the upper mandible 
furnished with one or two teeth. The second has a hook at the tip of the bill. They are 
wood-haunting zygodactyle birds. The first come from West Africa, and are the true Parbus ; 
the second come from the New World, and are the Tamatias of Buffon." Further on in 
the book he divides the true Parbus into two groups, and introduces the genus Cabezon or 
Capito for those Parbus which have hitherto erroneously been classed with the species that 
have grooved or toothed bills, while the distinguishing feature of the genus Cainto is a 
smooth bill ; under this generic name he places fifteen species ; among them are some now 
classified under Mecjalcema and Xantholcema, as well as some that are still classed as CajJifo. 
1818. Bufibn, in his later v^^ork, classifies them as " Scansores," between the Yuncinw and 
the BamphastidcB, and divides them into two families — Tamatia of the New World, and 
Parbus of the Old World. The former, however, includes six fissirostral Barbets and only 
two scansorial ; the scansorial Barbets are included by an error ; and this is the first author 
who has drawn a distinction between the two groups. 
1823. Ranzoni, in the 'Elem. di Orn.,' introduced the generic name oi Trachyphonus for 
the long-tailed African subgroup, type T. cafer. 
