Identifier: keytonorthameric02coue (find matches)
Title: Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology, an outline of the structure and classification of birds, and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds
Year: 1890 (1890s)
Authors: Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899
Subjects: Birds -- North America Birds -- Collection and preservation
Publisher: Boston, D. Estes and Company
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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with the inconstant formula A B X Y or A X Y, nude oil-gland, two caeca, noaftershafts, permanently reversed 4th digit, and 10 or 8 rectrices, in CucuUdce. The formerfamily is exclusively Ethiopian ; the latter is cosmopolitan. Family CUCULID^: Cuckoos. Homalogonatous Picarice zygodactylous hy reversion of the fourth toe. The only otherNorth American birds with toes yoked in the same combination are Picidte and Psittaci, whosenumerous specialties will prevent any misconception regarding CuculidcB. The latter aredesmognathous in palatal structure, and homalogonatous, having the ambiens and three or allfour of the other leg-muscles used for classificatory purposes; in these important respects dif-fering from all birds previously treated in this work. There are two carotids. The syringesvary from tracheobronchial through pseudobronchial to bronchial, paired. The oil-gland isnude, but cjeca are present, and the plumage is not aftershafted. The family is a large and CUCULID.E: CUCKOOS. 603
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important one. It comprehends quite a number of leading forms showing certain modificationsof the syrinx or syringes, of the pterylosis, of the hind claw, and even of the myological for-mula. These correspond in great measure with certain g^^^^s^-^a^!*^ ^^^=7- ^. ^^ir-^ geographical areas of faunal distribution, and are generally r~Tf^ ^^^^^ - â *,/!?*.. held to constitute subfamilies.But the subdivision of thefamily is still in such an un-satisfactory state, that I amfurtunate in being required totreat critically of only theNorth American forms, whichinclude representatives ofthree indisputably distinctsubfamilies ; among them areCnculince, or typical Cuckoos _ -s J , allied to the European G. ^ - , ^;^ ^ ^, canorus (fig. 414), famous, -; **- â ^^^^^^^ jL like our Cowbird, for their ^---^^P^^-it/^^Sfc-4- parasitism. None of the (7(«- - ^__ il^^^k// .yi -(f-ir culinre proper have an acces-sory femorocaudal, their syrinx is tracheobronchial, and the Fm. 4U.-European Cuckoo, C«^«/Â

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