IN THE ORDER STREPITORES. 77 



opposed to the third and fourth, and the longest (or represen- 

 tative of the middle toe in the generality of birds) is accord- 

 ingly inward. It also includes certain genera (as the touracos 

 and puff-birds) which have the first and fourth toes disposed 

 laterally, and one (that of the colies) generally described to 

 have all four toes directed forwards. By stating that the 

 tarse is always scutellated in front, we succeed in excluding 

 the parrots from the definition; and the syndactyle jacamars, 

 by mentioning that the forward toes are separate from the 

 first joint. I am aware of no further generalization that can 

 be advanced, apart from other Strepitores ; unless it be that 

 the young appear, without exception, to shed their entire 

 nestling plumage during the first autumn or winter. 



The Zygodactyly primarily subdivide into two very distinct 

 groups, which I have termed Picoides and Cuculoides. 



The Picoides a,re distinguished by having the muscular coat 

 of the stomach more developed, and by the absence of cceca 

 to the intestine : the sternum is always doubly emarginated 

 at its posterior border, and the coracoid bones are of unusual 

 length. All of them produce purely white eggs ; and the 

 young (I have reason to suspect) are in every instance hatched 

 naked. The clothing feathers possess an accessory plumelet, 

 more or less developed. 



In the Cuculoides, the stomach is comparatively lax ; and 

 there are large pedicillate dilated cceca, resembling those of 

 the owls, as in all other Strepitores that have any : the ster- 

 num is sometimes only singly emarginated, and the coracoid 

 bones are stout, and never elongated. Many of them lay co- 

 loured or spotted eggs ; and probably all (like our native 

 cuckoo) are hatched covered with down. The clothing fea- 

 thers exhibit not the slightest trace of a supplementary plume. 

 It may be added that the brain is remarkably diminutive, 

 which is not the case in the Picoides. 



The former of these divisions is especially remarkable for 

 the variations which it presents in the structure of the tongue, 

 which is barbed like a feather in the toucans, vermiform and 

 protrusile, with generally some small retroflected lateral 

 spines near the tip, in the woodpeckers, and of the ordinary 

 shape in the barbets. The great majority of its species dis- 

 play bright colours. They fall under two principal and very 

 distinct minor groups, which I have designated Levirostres 

 and Cuneirostres. The latter contains the only scandent 

 members of the Zygodactyli, although the entire group (with 

 the addition even of the jacamars and trogons) is still deno- 

 minated " grimpeurs " by the French. We must now confine 

 our attention to the Levirostres. 



h3 



