108 



AN* AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 



F. 92. Trochilidae, Humming-Birds, 581 sp — 18 (5) Nc, 



576(563)N1. 

 F. 93. Coliidae, Mouse-Birds, 14 sp. E. 

 F. di.Trogonidac, Trogons, 54 sp.— 16(16)0., 4(4)E., 



l(0)Nc, 34(33)N1. 



ORDER XIX. — COCCYGES. 

 F. 95. Musophagidae, Plantain-eaters, Touracos, 35 sp. E. 

 F. 96. CUCULIDAE (14), CUCKOOS (Cuckows), 202 sp.— 



61(50)A., 57(42)0., 8(0)P., 55(51)E., 8(0)Nc., 



43(35)N1. 



Hawks," and are shot by people who foolishly shoot hawks. 

 Many destructive insects fly only at night, and these night-flying 

 birds are a necessity to maintain the balance of Nature. 



Swifts are cosmopolitan birds. One Swiftlet is world-famous 

 on account of its saliva-built nest, which is the edible swallows' 

 nest we used to read about. This bird occasionally visits 

 Queensland. Two of the Australian birds breed in Japan. 

 They are essentially creatures of the air; their long, pointed 

 wings, shown much longer than the tail, indicate great speed. 

 Gould said that a Swift might be hawking for insects over Vic- 

 toria one hour, and over Tasmania the next hour; that is, it 

 can cross Bass Strait in an hour. The spines at the end of the 

 short tail feathers are thought to assist as a prop when the bird 

 settles on a wall or a cliff face. In some Swifts the four toes 

 point forward; this helps also in cliff clinging. Though so com- 



