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Show 1874.] MR. A. H. GARROD ON THE MUSCLES OF BIRDS. 119 either the ambiens muscle is absent, or has a nude oil-gland in combination with intestinal caeca, it is certain to be a homalogonatous bird. That the formmVof the Musophagida is A B. X Y, and the ambiens is present, therefore more than counterbalance the exception presented by the arrangement of their caeca and oil-glands. The same remarks apply to the Cuculida. The Cathartida possess the ambiens, which, in conjunction with many other Ciconiine characters, leaves no doubt about their position; and the Psittaci cannot, from the presence of an ambiens in some of them, be placed with the Anomalogonati, to which they otherwise present many points of similarity. Excluding the Macrochires, which have a nude oil-gland and no caeca, all the other anomalogonatous birds have either a nude oil-gland and ca*.ca, or a tufted oil-gland and no caeca ; and this definite set of features makes it easy to divide them up into two main orders, the Piciformes and the Passeriformes. Piciformes, Passeriformes, with tufted oil-gland and no coaca. with nude oil-gland and caeca. {Pici. Passeres. Capitonida. Bucconida (?). Ramphastida. Trogonida. Vpupidaj. Meropida. Bucerotida. Caprimulgida. Alcedinida. Slea torn ithida. Coraciida. Momotida. The position of the Macrochires is uncertain. In so far as the mouth tends to get very broad it resembles some of the Passeriformes. As before remarked, none of the Anomalogonatae possess the accessory femoro-caudal muscle. In them also the posterior margin of the sternum is more perfectly formed than in the Homalogonatte. Scansorial feet are found in both divisions ; but whilst those of the Parrots and Cuckoos exhibit a similar arrangement of the tendons of the toes, the Toucans, Woodpeckers, and Jacamars follow a quite different type. All the birds which present the palatal characters expressed by Prof. Huxley's term Schizognathous, and the nasal characters expressed by m y term Schizorhinal, are homalogonatous. All non-struthious birds with a truncated vomer are anomalogonatous. As to what appear to me to be the main divisions of the homalogonatous birds, the myology of the thigh does not give more than a certain amount of assistance. In list I. it will be seen that large brackets precede the names of the smaller divisions or families, separating them into what to me are worthy of the dignity of orders. From these it is evident that I would divide homologonatous birds into four orders, I. Galliformes, II. Anseriformes, III. Ciconiiformes, and IV. Charadriiformes (Schizorhinse). These must be considered separately. The Galliformes include all the birds in which there is any approach in structure to the common Fowl. With the exception of |
