472 Mr. N. A. Vicors on the Natural Affinities 
we inclined, for instance, to fix our attention upon one character 
only, such as that of the powers of the voice, we might draw a 
line across the contiguous tribes of Dentirostres, Conirostres, | 
and Scansores, which would separate into one group all the birds 
which are endowed with the faculty of singing or talking. ‘The 
Merulide, Sylviade, Fringillide, the Sturnide, Corvide and the 
Psittacide, would thus be segregated from the rest as exclusively 
distinguished by these characters ; the three former including 
all the birds which are capable of producing the notes peculiar 
to the class, the three latter all those which can imitate the voice 
of man. Were we, again, to make such a character as that of 
feeding on the wing the foundation of a group, we might equally 
set apart all the birds accustomed to that mode of life by a circu- 
lar line, which would include within its circumference the conti- 
guous families of Cinnyride and Trochilide, all the Fissirostres, 
together with the Muscicapidæ, in conjunction with the Tyranni, 
Dicruri, and the Piegrieches Hirondelles which adjoin them. 
We might resort to the same mode of grouping various con- 
tiguous families by means of such characters as climbing while 
they take their food, of using their tongues when feeding, of 
possessing gressorial feet, and numberless similar peculiarities 
both of anatomy and economy, on which I cannot at present 
dwell, but which will readily suggest themselves to the experi- 
enced ornithologist. It is thus, in fact, that by following not the 
arbitrary division of organs or properties, but their method of 
variation, we can reconcile the different modes in whicli systema- 
tists, from adopting partial views of their subject, have separated 
or united their various groups. And thus it is, that, while we 
admit their views to be partially correct, we have some grounds 
for drawing the conclusion, that the more comprehensive mode 
of combination which embraces all their various plans and recon- 
ciles their otherwise discordant systems, has some claim to be 
considered 
