OCR Text |
Show 340 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON [Apr. 15, They m a y be defined as follows :- Schizorhinal birds with the nasals facing forwards. Supraorbital margin rounded, but with slight depressions for the nasal glands Lachrymal quite independent of the prefrontal process. Bony interorbital septum largely deficient. Maxillo-palatines large but hardly visible from below. Foramen m a g n u m at posterior end of skull ; occipital foramina present. No postfrontal process present. The Cranes are placed by M r . Sclater in his group Alectorides, and so far this is justified by the above definition, which shows that the Cranes are intermediate between the Rallidae and Limicolae and should be therefore placed apart; but when the other families included in the Alectorides are considered, such an arrangement does not appear to be feasible. Psophia is, in m y opinion, sufficient to show that this association of birds will not hold, unless it be entirely restricted to Psophia and the Cariamidae and perhaps the Bustards and CEdicnemus. It appears to me, in fact, that the natural affinities of these different birds are not so difficult to make out, if we cease the attempt to combine together the various families of " Alectorides " and simply show the relationships of the several types in a graphic form. Gfruida.. |