Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 18.djvu/45

 ORNITHOLOGY 35 comparatively narrow and allows the pterygoids and palatals to articulate directly with the basispnenoidal rostrum. The Carinatx are divided, according to the formation of the palate, into four &quot; Suborders,&quot; and named (i.) DromxognatJix, (ii.) Schizognathx, (iii.) Desmognathx, and (iv.) JEgitftognathx. 1 The Dromxognathx resemble the Ratitie, and especially the genus Dromsaus, in their palatal structure, and arc composed of the TINAMOUS (&amp;lt;/.&amp;gt; .). The Schizoynathoe include a great many of the forms belonging to the Linmean Orders Gallinx, Grallx, and Anseres. In them the vomer, however variable, always tapers to a point anteriorly, while behind it includes the basisphenoidal rostrum between the palatals ; but neither these nor the pterygoids are borne by its posterior divergent ends. The maxillo-palatals are usually elongated and lamellar, uniting with the palatals, and, bending backward along their inner edge, leave a cleft (whence the name given to the &quot; Suborder &quot;) between the vomer and themselves. Six groups of Schizognathx are distinguished with considerable minuteness : (1) Charadriomorpfiee, con taining Charadriidse, (PLOVER, q.i .), Otidldx (BUSTARD, vol. iv. p. 578), and Scolopacidse ] (2) Geranomorphss, including Gruidse (CRANE, vol. vi. p. 546) and R&amp;lt;dlida&amp;gt;, between which Psophiidie and Rhinochetidx are intermedi ate, while the SEHIEMA (q.v.) would also seem to belong here ; (3) Cccomorphae, comprising Laridx (GULL, vol. xi. p. 274), Procellariidse (PETREL, q.v.), Colymlidx (DIVER, vol. vii. p. 292), and Alcidx (GUILLEMOT, vol. xi. p. 262); (4) SpheniscomorphsB, composed of the PENGUINS (q.v.) ; (&quot;)) Alectoromorphee (FOWL, vol. ix. p. 491), being all the Gallinx except the Tinamous ; and finally (6) Peristero- morphx, consisting of the DOVES (vol. vii. p. 379) and PIGEONS (q.v.). In the third of these Suborders, the Dcsmoynatkse, the vomer is either abortive or so small as to disappear from the skeleton. When it exists it is always slender, and tapers to a point anteriorly. The maxillo-palatals are bound together (whence the name of the &quot; Suborder&quot;) across the middle line, either directly or by the ossification of the nasal septum. The posterior ends of the palatals and anterior of the pterygoids articulate directly with the rostrum. The groups of Desmognatkx are characterized as carefully as are those of the preceding &quot;Suborder,&quot; and are as follows: (1) Ckenomorpkse, con sisting of the Anatidse (DucK, vol. vii. p. 505 ; GOOSE, vol. x. p. 777) with Palamedea, the SCREAMER (q.v.) ; (2) Ampliimwphx, the FLAMINGOES (vol. ix. p. 286) ; (3) Pdaryomorphx, containing the Ardcidx (HERON, vol. xi. p. 760), Ciconiidx (STORK, q.v.), and Tantalidse ; (4) Dyxporomorphos, the CORMORANTS (vol. vi. p. 407), FRIGATE-BIRDS (vol. ix. p. 786), GANNETS (vol. x. p. 70), and PELICANS (q.v.) ; (5) Aetomorphx, comprising all the Birds-of-Prey ; (6) Psittacomorphse, the PARROTS (q. v.) ; and lastly (7) Coccyyomorphae, which are held to include four groups, viz., (a) Coliidx (MOUSE-BIRD, vol. xvii. p. 6) ; (h) Musopliwjidsz (PLANTAIN-EATERS and TOURA- KOOS, q.v.} Cuculidx (CucKOW, vol. vi. p. 685), Bucconidse, JRkampJuistidx (TOUCANS, q.v.), Capitonidiv, Gallulidx (JACAMAR, vol. xiii. p. 531 ); (c) Alcedinidx (KING FISHER, xiv. p. 81,) Bucerotidse (HORNBILL, xii. p. 169), Vpupidae (HOOPOE, xii. p. 154), Meropidae, Momotidx (MOTMOT, xvii. p. 3), Coraciidse (ROLLER, q.v.); and (d) Trtjfjonidse, (TROGON, q.v.]. Next in order come the Celeo- morphae or WOODPECKERS (q.v.), a group respecting the exact position of which Prof. Huxley was uncertain, 2 1 These names are compounded respectively of Dromssus, the generic name applied to the Emeu, erx C a &amp;gt; a split or cleft, 5e o&amp;gt;ta, a bond or tying, ctfyidos, a Finch, and, in each case, yvddos, a jaw. 2 Prof. Parker subsequently advanced the Woodpeckers to a higher rank under the name of Sauroynathw (Monthly Microscop. Journal, 1872, p. 219, and Tr. Linn. Sue., ser. 2, Zoology, i. p. 2). though he inclined to think its relations were with the next group, jEgitkognathse, the fourth and last of his &quot; Sub orders,&quot; characterized by a form of palate in some respects intermediate between the two preceding. The vomer is broad, abruptly truncated in front, and deeply cleft behind, so as to embrace the rostrum of the sphenoid ; the palatals have produced postero-external angles ; the maxillo-palata s are slender at their origin, and extend obliquely inwards and forwards over the palatals, ending beneath the vomer in expanded extremities, not united either with one another or with the vomer, nor does the latter unite with the nasal septum, though that .is frequently ossified. Of the ^Egithognathss, two divisions are made (1) Cypsclo- morphix, including Trockilidse (HUMMING-BIRD, vol. xii. p. 357), Cypselidx (SwiFT, q.v.), and Caprimulyidx (GOAT SUCKER, vol. x. p. 711) ; and (2) Cor/icomorphse, which last are separable into two groups, one (&amp;lt;i) formed of the genus Mtnura (LYRE-BIRD, vol. xv. p. 115), which then seemed to stand alone, and the other (6) made up of Polymyodw, Tracheopkonx, and Oligomyodie, sections founded on the syringeal structure, but declared to be not natural. The above abstract 3 shews the general drift of this very remarkable contribution to Ornithology, and it has to be added that for by far the greater number of hi.s minor groups Prof. Huxley relies solely on the form of the palatal structure, the importance of which Dr Cornay, as already stated (p. 29), had before urged, though to so little purpose. That the palatal structure must be taken into consideration by taxonomers as affording hints of some utility there can no longer be a doubt ; but the present writer is inclined to think that the characters drawn thence owe more of their worth to the extraordinary perspicuity with which they have been presented by Prof. Huxley than to their own intrinsic value, and that if the same power had been employed to elucidate in the same way other parts of the skeleton say the bones of the sternal apparatus or even of the pelvic girdle either set could have been made t j appear quite as instructive and perhaps more so. Adventitious value would therefore seem to have been acquired by the bones of the palate through the fact that so great a master of the art of exposition selected them as fitting examples upon which to exercise his skill. 4 At the same time it must be stated this selection was not premeditated by Prof. Huxley, but forced itself upon him as his investigations proceeded. 5 In reply to some critical remarks (Ibis, 18C8, pp. 85-96), chiefly aimed at shewing the inexpediency of relying solely on one set of characters, especially when those afforded by the palatal bones were not, even within the limits of Families, wholly diagnostic, the author (Ibis, 1868, pp. 357-362) announced a slight modification of his original scheme, by introducing three more groups into it, and concluded by indicating how its bearings upon the great question of &quot; Genetic Classifica tion &quot; might be represented so far as the different groups of Carinatae are concerned : 3 This is adapted from that given in the Record of Zoological Literature (iv. pp. 46-49), which is believed to have not inadequately represented the author s views. 4 The notion of the superiority of the palatal bones to all others for purposes of classification has pleased many persons, from the fact that these bones are not unfrequently retained in the dried skins of Birds sent home by collectors in foreign countries, and are therefore available for study, while such bones as the sternum and pelvis are rarely pre served. The common practice of ordinary collectors, until at least very recently, has been tersely described to the present writer as being to &quot;shoot a bird, take off its skin, and throw away its characters.&quot; 5 Perhaps this may be partially explained by the fact that the Museum of the College of Surgeons, in which these investigations were chiefly carried on, like most other museums of the time, contained a much larger series of the heads of Birds than of their entire skeletons, or of any other portion of the skeleton. Consequently the materials available for the comparison of different forms consisted in great part of heads only.