AVES. 



267 



Legs, robust, Fig. 113. 



short, with three 

 toes before, and 

 one behind ; all 

 armed with long, 

 strong, crooked 

 talons. Fig. 1 13. 



All the Birds 

 of Prey feed on 

 the flesh of living 

 or recently killed 

 animals. They 

 have a prompt, 

 powerful, and rapid flight. They are mono- 

 gamous ; the female exceeds the male in size. 

 They nidificate in lofty situations and rarely 

 lay more than four eggs: the young are ex- 

 cluded in a blind and feeble state. 



The Birds of Prey are either diurnal or noc- 

 turnal. 



The Diurnal Raptores have their eyes di- 

 rected laterally, and are divided into the fol- 

 lowing families Falconidte, Eagles and Hawks ; 

 Vulturidte, Vultures ; and Gypogeranida:,v!hich 

 includes the ' 'cretary vulture. In the first two 

 divisions the characters of the order are most 

 strongly marked ; in the third the legs deviate 

 from the ordinal character and are remarkably 

 elongated, adapting it to an inferior kind of 

 prey, viz. noxious reptiles, serpents, &c. 



The Nocturnal K/jweshavetheeyesdirected 

 forwards, and include the Strigidic or owl-tribe. 



Order II. INSESSORES. 



Legs slender, short, with three toes before 

 and one behind, the two external toes united 

 by a very short membrane.* 



The Perchers form by far the most nume- 

 rous order of birds, but are the least easily 

 recognizable by distinctive characters common 

 to the whole group. Their feet, being more 

 especially adapted to the delicate labours of 

 nidification, have neither the webbed struc- 

 ture of those of the Swimmers, nor the 

 robust strength and destructive talons which 

 characterise the feet of the Bird of Rapine, 

 nor yet the extended toes which enable the 

 Wader to walk safely over marshy soils and 

 tread lightly on the float- 

 ing leaves of aquatic 

 plants ; but the toes are 

 slender, flexible, and 

 moderately elongated 

 with long, pointed and 

 slightly curved claws. 



(fig. ii4j 



The perchers in general have the females 

 smaller and less brilliant in their plumage than 

 the males ; they always live in pairs, build in 

 trees, and display the greatest art in the con- 

 struction of their nests. The young are ex- 

 cluded in a blind and naked state, and wholly 

 dependent for subsistence during a certain 



* The genus Ceyx, Lacep. ( Alcedo tridactyla, 

 Pall.) affords an exception, the inner toe being 

 deficient ; and the two other anterior ones being 

 united as in the other Syndactyles, it appears as 

 if there was but one toe in front opposed to on* 

 behind. 



. 114. 



period on parental care. The brain arrived in 

 this order at its greatest proportional size ; the 

 organ of voice here attains its utmost com- 

 plexity, and all the characteristics of the bird, 

 as power of flight, melody of voice, and 

 beauty of plumage are enjoyed in the highest 

 perfection by one or other of the groups of this 

 extensive and varied order. 



The beak of the Imessores varies in form 

 according to the nature of their food, which 

 may be small or young birds, carrion, insects, 

 fruit, seeds, vegetable juices, or of a mixed 

 kind. The modifications of the rostrum 

 have therefore afforded convenient characters 

 for the tribes or subdivisions of the order ; 

 these are termed, 1, Dentirostres ; 2, Co?iiros- 

 tres ; 3, Tenuirostres ; 4, Fissirastres. 



The Dentinntres, (jig.\\S) 

 characterized by their insect 

 food, and the notch near the 

 extremity of the upper man- 

 dible, include the families 

 termed Laniadts or Shrikes ; 

 Mcruiidee, Thrushes; Sylvi- Rostrum of a Shrike 

 adte, Warblers; Pipiidce, Tits; and Muscica- 

 pidtE, Fly-catchers. 



The Conirostres (Jig. 116) include the two 



Fig. 116. 



Fig. 115. 



Rostrum of a Craw. 



orders of M.Temminck, termed Omnivoressad 

 Granivores ; and are characterized by a strong 

 and conical beak, the margin of which is gene- 

 rally entire; the greater part are omnivorous, 

 the rest granivorous; these latter are the Hard- 

 billed Birds of Ray. The families of the tribe 

 are the following : Sturnida, Starlings ; Cor- 

 vid<e, Crows; Buccridte, Hornbills ; Loxiad<e, 

 Cross-bills; Fringillidte, Finches, Larks. 



The Tenuirostres 



(fg. 1 1 7) or suctorial Fig. 117. 



birds form, Mr. Vigors 

 observes, " the most 

 interesting group, per- 

 haps, of the animal RostrwnoftheOrtharfynchus, 

 world. Deriving their or Straight-billed Humming 

 subsistenceforthemost Bird. 



part from the nectar of flowers,* we never fail to 

 associate them in idea with that more beautiful 

 and perfect part of the vegetable creation, with 

 which in their delicacy and fragility of form, 

 their variety and brilliancy of hues, not less than 

 by their extracting their nourishment from 

 vegetable juices, they appear to have so many 

 relations. As the tribe is confined exclusively 

 to the torrid zone and southern hemisphere, 

 the naturalists of our northern latitudes have 

 little opportunity of observing their manners 

 or of inspecting their internal construction." f 



* In the Humming-Birds which we have dis- 

 sected, we have found the remains of minute insects 

 in the gizzard. 



t We have selected the skeleton of the Humming, 

 bird, one of this tribe, as a striking illustration of the 



