302 SCANSOEES. 



ORDER III. 



vScANSORES. 



The Scansorialor Climbing* Birds are distinguished 

 by tlie structure of their feet. The outer toe is 

 turned backward^ so that the foot exhibits two toes 

 in front and two behind.* This is really the only 

 character common to all the birds placed in the 

 order Scansores ; the structure of the other parts 

 from which distinctive characters are usually derived 

 varying greatly in different members of the group, 

 so that it includes species of very different aspects 

 and modes of life. It will, moreover, be observed 

 that in many of the Passerine birds, the outer toe, 

 although not permanently reversed, is capable of 

 assuming the Scansorial character, adding not a 

 little to the difficulty of drawing a clear line of 

 demarcation between the two orders. 



The structure of their feet enables most of the 

 Scansorial birds to cling with great tenacity to the 

 branches and trunks of trees, and to climb up the 

 steepest surface. Few of them are possessed of 

 great powers of flight ; they spend most of their life 

 among trees, and find on them their favourite food. 

 In some of the families this consists of berries and 

 other fruits ; in others almost exclusively of insects 

 and grubs. Most of them rear their young in the 

 holes of rotting timber, simply depositing their eggs 

 among the debris of the wood, without any nest. 

 The Scansores are divisible into four families, of 

 which the Toucan, the Parrot, the Woodpecker, and 

 the Cuckoo are familiar examples. 



* See " Animal Creation," page 437. 



