464 Mr. N. A. Vigors on the Natural Affinities 



accord with these views of the distinguished French naturalist. 

 Besides the difference in their structure, the two groups may be 

 separated by their geographical limits. The Nectariniadce, as far 

 as I can trace out their extent, are confined to the New World ; 

 while the Cinnyridce are circumscribed within the bounds of the 

 ancient continent and its adjoining islands. In looking to the 

 succession of affinities in the tribe, we may remark that the Nec- 

 tariniadce appear to hold, by the comparative strength of their 

 feet and bill, an intermediate rank between the Creepers of the 

 last tribe and the typical groups of the present. In the use they 

 make of their feet, this is particularly observable. The Certhiada, 

 as we have seen, employ their feet in climbing : the Nectariniadce 

 do not climb, but hop from flower to flower*, exploring the nec- 

 tary of each ; while the Cinnyridce and Trochilidce make no use 

 whatever of the foot as they extract their food, but during this 

 process are poised entirely on the wing. The two last-mentioned 

 families again approach each other in the slenderness of their bill, 

 the vividness and changeable lustre of their plumage, and the 

 habit of hovering on the wing while they feed. They are chiefly 

 separated by the comparatively stronger foot and bill of the Cin- 

 nyridce. A line of demarcation also points out the geographical 

 distribution of these two families, the Trochilidce being exclu- 

 sivel)"^ confined to America, and the Cinnyridce, as I have already 

 stated, to the Old World. These two typical families are the 

 only groups in the tribe of whose situation I can speak with any 



* The following are the observations of a scientific eye-witness of the manners of a 

 species of the Nectariniadce, the Nectafinia cyanocephala. " Its habits are no less 

 perfectly the same as the rest of the Nectarinia. It frequents the same trees as the 

 Humming-birds, hopping from flower to flower, and extracting the nectar from each; 

 but this is not done on the wing, because its formation is obviously different from the 

 Humming-birds, which, on the contrary, poise themselves in the air during feeding." 

 Swainson, Zoological Illustrations, PI. 117. 



con- 



