REPTATORES. CREEPERS. 11 



were pressed close together, the third and fourth actually united 

 in a great part of their length, the first always long and directed 

 backwards, the claws strong, extremely compressed, and acute. 



Fig. 187. 



Now, the birds which exhibit this character in the greatest 

 perfection, may be arranged so as to form several natural groups 

 or families. Those of which the bill approaches nearest in 

 form to that of the smaller Sylvianae, and which in the same 

 manner have the peculiar characters of the feet less developed, 

 are the Melliphaginw and the Certhiance^ the latter including 

 among others the genera Anorthura, Certhia, Thyrothurus, 

 Tichodroma, and Upupa. One of these genera, namely Certhia, 

 composed of a few species, has the feathers of the tail depress- 

 ed, and stiffened. This character is common to all the mem- 

 bers of another family, although in some genera the shafts do 

 not protrude. It is composed of the genera Dendrocolaptes, 

 Sclerurus, Oxyurus, Furnarius, Synallaxis, Anabates, and 

 others, and may be named Dendrocolaptlnw. The genera 

 Promerops, Epimachus, Cinnyris, Nectarinia, and others con- 

 stitute the family of Cinnyrincc. Lastly, the Sittinw formed of 

 the genera Sitta, Climacteris, and a few others, lead us back to 

 the Parinas, which they greatly resemble in form and habits, 

 while they are also in several respects assimilated to the Wood- 

 peckers. 



Not being satisfied as to the accordance of this association of 

 species with rational principles of classification, because I have 

 not enjoyed opportunities of making myself acquainted with 

 the structure, and especially the digestive organs of a sufficient 

 number of these birds, I shall not offer any extended remarks 

 on the different families above indicated, but proceed as direct- 

 ly as is consistent with the method which I have adopted, to 

 give the history of the very few species that occur in Britain. 



