Sclater on the Sy sterna Avium. 35 
In my opinion Sundevall’s groups of the Oscines are therefore 
far more naturally conceived ; and in our 4 Nomenclator ’ I have 
nearly followed them, using only the more familiar expressions 
ending in 4 rostres,’ throughout the divisions. Thus : — 
Sundevall’s Cichlomorphas = Oscines dentirostres of the ‘ Nomenclator.’ 
| Conirostres .= Oscines conirostres “ . 
“ Coliormorphae * = Oscines cultrirostres “ 
“ Cinnyrimorphae = Oscines tenuirostres ' “ 
“ Chelidomorphae = Oscines latirostres “ 
No species of Sundevall’s TCeithiomorphas” being found in 
the New World, I have not given that group any equivalent 
designation. But calling these ‘‘Oscines curvirostres,” for uni- 
formity’s sake, and keeping the Larks apart on account of their 
peculiar plant a I should propose to arrange the Oscines as 
follows : — 
A. Laminiplantares. i. Dentirostres. 
2. Latirostres. 
3. Curvirostres. 
4. Tenuirostres. 
5. Conirostres. 
6. Cultrirostres. 
B. Scutiplantares. (Alaudidae). 
• , . 
These six groups may, I think, be separated without much 
difficulty. But when we come to attempt to subdivide them, 
| there is room for endless varieties of opinion as to the nearest 
allies of many. of the forms. It would, I fear, be impossible to 
discuss the best arrangement of the different subdivisions of these 
groups within the limits of this paper. 
The second suborder of Passeres., the Oligomyodte, are not 
1 nearly so numerous as the Oscines. It embraces, however, ac- 
cording to the present state of our knowledge, some 550 species, 
belonging; to 8 families, most of which are restricted to the New 
World. 
* Mr. Sharpe’s “ Coliomorphae ” (Cat. Birds, iii. pp. 3,4) is quite a different group 
from that designated by Sundevall (‘ Tentamen,’ p. 37) by the same name. Sundevall’s 
Coliomorphae is nearly equivalent to my “Oscines cultrirostres” (Sundevall’s group 
includes Irri$or, on which point see above, p. 343), and consists of the following families 
(according to my nomenclature) : — Icteridae, Sturnidae, Buphagidae, Paradiseidae, and 
Corvidae. But Mr. Sharpe puts in his “ Coliomorphae ” only the last' two of these five 
families, and adds to them the Oriolidae, Dicruridae, and Prionopidae. The first two 
of these belong to Sundevall’s Cichlomorphae ( i . e. my Dentirostres) ; the last consists 
of a heterogeneous assemblage of genera, mostly also Dentirostres, but having, in my 
opinion, no sort of connexion together. 
