420 Analytic Descriptions of the Groups of Birds 



Art. IV. Analytic Descriptions of the Groups of Birds composing 

 the Order Insessores Heterogenes. By Edward Blyth, Esq. 



No. II. — Systematic Analysis of the Series. Charac- 

 ters OF THE MOTMOTS. 



In my contribution to the 'Magazine of Natural History' for 

 June last, I specified the various groups of birds which were 

 there brought together (provisionally) under the term Hetero- 

 genes ; and I mentioned a few of their more prominent mu- 

 tual differential characters. Since then, in a general arrange- 

 ment of the class read before the Zoological Society, I have 

 endeavoured, by proposing divisions of several degrees of va- 

 lue, to reduce this difficult series to something like order: and 

 have also, while retaining the same ordinal groups which have 

 been indicated in the foregoing numbers of this Magazine, 

 been induced to make an alteration in their nomenclature, by 

 transferring to the divisions of this degree of value, the uni- 

 form termination ores; whence the Rapaces, Heterogenes, and 

 Cantrices of my previous communications may now be re- 

 spectively designated Raptores, Strepitores, and Cantores, the 

 parrots being furthermore detached from the second of these, 

 and styled, exclusively, Scansores. 



Accordingly, therefore, the immense division Insessores of 

 the quinary classification may be dismembered into three se- 

 parate orders, each of which is invariably distinguished by a 

 very distinct structure of the organ of voice, in addition to 

 other peculiar characters. The names Strepitores, (screech- 

 ers), and Cantor es, (warblers or songsters), have reference to 

 the conformation of the lower larynx. 



The parrots, — Scansores, — I place, for a variety of reasons, 

 at the head of the system ; preceding the Raptores, as among 

 Mammalia the handed animals do the Carnivora. It is in- 

 deed remarkable, that, in both instances, the highest order 

 should have the foot modified to act as a prehensile instru- 

 ment, or hand ; while in the typical Carnivora, of the class 

 Mammalia, much freedom of action is continued in the ante- 

 rior limb, the lion striking down his prey (if of moderate size) 

 with the fore paw ; and the Raptores, also, being enabled to 

 strike out the foot, by means of which, in the great majority 

 of instances, the prey is solely captured. There are, however, 

 much better characters than these incidental analogies to war- 

 rant the elevated station assigned to the restricted order Scan- 

 sores : but it will be time to treat in detail of the parrots when 

 the Strepitores are disposed of. 



