ON THE GENERA.
B". Masilla dcntatá, pectorc setis haud ornato.
a. Majores, robustiores, rostro flavescente, valdc dentato.
a!. Gutture coccíneo, pectore nigro P. dubius.
V. Gutture pectoreque coccincis P- bidentatus.
é. Gutture pectoreque nigris P- rollen.
d'. Fronte rubra, pectorc brunneo P. melanopterus.
b. Minores, rostro nigro.
a!. Capite toto albo P- leucocephalus.
b'. Capite gutturequc coccincis.
a". Supra niger P- abyssinicus.
b". Supra tcrricolor, sulphurco lavatus P. torquatu.i.
d. Pectore albescente, coccíneo variegato P. vieilloti.
d'. Pectorc flavescente, bruunco maculato P. undatus.
é. Supra niger, sulphureo variegatus.
a". Fronte rubra.
a"'. Gutture nigro P- leucomelas.
b'". Gutture albo . . . P. dtadematns.
V. Fronte nigra, superciliari albo P.
3. Genus TETRAGOITOPS.
Characteristics.—The tip of the lower mandible is deeply bifurcated, and t h e apex of t he
upper tits into t h e division; the bill is very powerful, and in T. ramphastinus almost square
at the base, t h e culmen being perfectly flat; the nostrils, which are round and basal, a re
situated in two grooves. Sir W i l l i am Jardine, in first describing this species, mentions that
t h e bill is richly coloured, t h e apical half being bluish black and t h e rest rich yellow and
orange; this, with t h e abnormally coloured loose plumage, gives the bird t h e appearance of
a small Toucan. The only other known species has t h e bill rather modified in form; but
the upper mandible is also furnished with two t e e th near the t i p ; it is not so brilliantly
coloured. Both have a shining occipital crest, and a r e larger than t h e other American
Capitonida'; but little is known of t h em yet, as they are very rare birds.
'IV. Mandibular apice bifurcate.
a. Gutturc cineracco T. ramphustinus.
b. Gutture olivacco T.frantzii.
B. MEGAL.EMIX.E.
This subfamily is separated from the first one by its smooth upper mandible, and from
t h e third by the form of the bill and t h e rictal bristles. The bill is as long as or longer
than t h e head, much inflated at the base, being as broad as i t is h i g h ; the culmen is raised
between t h e nostrils. The upper mandible slopes slightly towards the t i p , the anterior half
of t h e gonys inclines upwards, giving t o some species t h e appearance of having t h e bill
turned upside down. The bill is compressed towards the t i p ; the bristles are long, coarse,
and black; the nostrils rounded and basal. The wings are moderate in l e n g t h and rounded,
not adapted for long flights; the first primary is very short, the fourth, fifth, and sixth are
ON THE GENERA. XXV
in most subequal and longest, sometimes the third, fourth, and fifth. The tail is short
(except in Psilopogon) and consists of ten feathers. The legs are short and stout, t h e feet
long and powerful. They are able to climb u p or down trees with ease. They nidificate in
holes of trees, which they generally make themselves. Their food consists of fruits, berries,
insects and t h e i r l a m e . We propose to divide t h em into t h e following genera:—
B. Rostro lsevi; setis rictalibus longis, vel post nares densis; maxilhe
maudibulieque apicibus sequis.
A'. Culmine lato, orbiculato ad basin; setis rictalibus nigris.
A". Rostro ad apicein compresso et acuto Megalama.
B". Rostro brevi, lato et obtuso Xantho/ama.
B'. Culmine acuto; setis rictalibus nigris.
A". Maxillá recta, mandíbula valde curvatá ad apicem Xylobucco.
B". Maxillá mandibuláque aiqualiter curvatis Barbatulo.
C Setis densis post nares coccíneo late marginatis Psüopogon.
T)'. Capite calvo, vel summo plumato; setis densis post nares flavescentibrunneis
Gymnobucco.
By t h e above i t will b e seen t h a t we have taken colour of t h e bristles as a primary distinction
in two genera; our reason for doing so is, t h a t it is a feature which will catch t h e eye a t a
glance, and about which no mistake can well be made. Megalwma, Xylobucco, Barbatula,
Gymnobucco, and Xanthola>ma are a l l treated as one genus by Gray and Goffin, under t he
name Megalwrna, which also includes Chotorea, Cyanops, and Buccanodon; the t h r e e latter,
being unable to separate, we have expunged, but have considered, as will be seen by our
table, that the former may be retained.
Dr. Jerdon says of the Megalamiince that, though they are placed by Swainson and Gray
as a subfamily of t h e Picidw, their short tongue, non-climbing habits, and general structure
warrant a higher separation: the plumage resembles in structure that of t h e Ramphastida?;
t h e feathers possess the supplementary plumes in both. Their clavicles are imperfect, and
do not in general, if ever, unite t o form t h e furcula as in Toucans. The cranium is broad,
angular, and weak; the sternum has t h e keel low, with two emarginations on each side;
the oesophagus is wide, the stomach slightly muscular; and t h e intestinal canal is short and
wide, without c a x a ; they have no gall-bladder ; t h e tongue is long and thin, slightly barbed
in some of t h e larger species.
Mr. Blyth, in his commentary on Dr. Jerdon's work, says it is an error to subordinate
this family to the Picida>, as they hop like ordinary Passercs, but t h a t they are more
nearly allied to t h e Ramphastidm, and t h a t if the larger species of t h i s latter family were
unknown, such a genus as Aulacoramphus would have been assigned to the group of
Capitonida. This author does not credit the fact that the Capitonida? can climb.
1 . Genus MEGAL.EMA.
Characteristics.—Bill with the margin smooth, sharp and compressed at the t i p ; culmen
broad, rounded at base, and curved; rictal bristles, which are strongly developed, black.
d