Gentjs— SCYTHROPS. 
ScYTHROPS Latham, Index Omith., Vol. I., p. 141, 
1790.. .. .. .. .. .. .. Type S. novcehollandice. 
Largest Scythropine birds with huge biU, grooved on the sides of the upper 
mandible, long wings, long tail and veiy^ short legs and small feet. 
The obvious character of this genus is the peculiar bill. 
The biU is massive, broad at the base, where the culmen shows a keel ; 
the upper mandible is deep, sides convex, grooved and ridged, three grooves 
on each side, hence the vernacular “ Chamiel BiU ” ; the tip is decurved, 
sharp and pointed, not hooked ; the edges obscurely serrate anteriorly ; the 
lower comparatively shaUow, gonys very long. The nostrils appear as smaU 
circular holes placed low do’wn at base of cuhnen in the lowest ridge. The lores 
more or less naked. 
The wing is long, the first primary short, about half the length of the third, 
which is longest, the fourth exceeding the second and fifth which are subequal, 
these four constituting the tip of the wing ; the first being about equal to the 
rather short secondaries. 
The tail is long, about four-fifths the length of the wing, the feathers broad 
in shape, rounded, the outer feather about three-fourths the length of the 
middle ones. 
The tarsus is very short and thick, in front a few large scutes, behind smaU 
reticulate scales covering the surface. The middle toe is long, equal to the 
tarsus in length, hind inner toe very short, the other two intermediate in size 
and subequal, the claws short and curved. This genus, which I have given 
family rank, is quite unlike any other and the internal features are also 
pecuhar, so that at present we have httle clue to its evolution. 
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