
—— 
NOTES ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF SCANSORES. 
In the contour of the latter, at edges of the sternum, there is not 
much difference among the Scansores ; those of Cuckoos, Touracos, 
and Toucans, are, however, proportionably the shortest, and those 
of Parrots and Woodpeckers the longest, with the exception of Psz- 
lopogon and Megalaima, in which the sternum varies from the 
Woodpecker form, and approaches that of the Cuckoos. These 
genera differ, however, from Ouculide and Picide, in haying the 
fissures much deeper. Some genera, of the former family, as Phee- 
nicophaus, haye the internal fissure the largest, which I have not 
observed to be the case in other families. There is nothing very 
remarkable in the form of the pelvinal bones in Scansores, to dis- 
tinguish them from other birds, but the different families differ 
between themselves. In the Parrots, Toucans, and Touracos, the 
Os pubis, at the posterior extremity of the obturator foramen, is 
not anchylosed to the ischium, while the contrary is the case in 
the Picide and Cuckoos, the latter of which haye that foramen of 
very small size, 
_ th the Woodpeckers and Toucans, the anterior portion of the 
ilium is not united at its upper edge, with the superior vertebral 
Processes; but there are, as it were, two channels, one on each 
Side, formed by the iliac bones and those processes. In the Par- 
rots, these bones meet and are perfectly anchylosed. In the Tou- 
sin although these bones are united aboye, they are open below, 
“ing a large longitudinal foramen on each side of the processes, 
™m which there is a depression on each side, running backwards 
towards the caudal vertebra. Chalcites, however, varies from the 
other Cuckoos, and has a pelvinal structure similar to the Parrots. 
a od nothing very remarkable in the structure of the legs and 
ibis Scansorial birds, with the exception of the position of the 
pondin sy ah each foot, and the twisting backward of the corres- 
dé tag: pee on the tarsus, which bone is very short and 
aistijuae ees and has a very large calcineal canal, perfectly. 
stall on Which, with the exception of in the Toucan, which has a 
th ms 18 wanting in other Scansores. The posterior metatar- 
ate ation! metatarsal bone, to which the phalanges of the inner toe 
With the oe in the Parrots, is short, broad at its articulation 
targus ‘4 wlanges, and tapers abruptly to its junction with the 
i he Picidee haye this bone not nearly so powerful, longer 
