CHAPTER XII 



THE PARROTS AND CUCKOOS 



Orders— PSITTACI AND CUCULI 



With the Parrots we enter upon the description of a series of 

 groups of birds quite distinct from those so far described, and these 

 groups must be regarded as representing so many branches of a 

 greater branch of the Avian tree of descent. 



The Parrots themselves are a very ancient group, and have, 

 moreover, undergone such deep-seated structural changes, especially 

 in regard to the skull, that it is not easy to discover what their nearest 

 relatives may be, though the Cuckoos are generally accorded this 

 honour. 



Among the Parrot's many striking peculiarities the beak is the 

 most conspicuous. Not only is it a very powerful weapon, but it 

 also plays a very important part as an organ of locomotion, as every- 

 body who has ever seen a Parrot climb knows. From their peculiarly 

 arboreal habits the legs of these birds have become very short ; while 

 the toes are arranged in pairs, two in front and two behind, and hence 

 are said to be zygodactyle, or yoke-footed. The use of the foot in 

 holding food is not peculiar to Parrots, for some Hawks and Owls 

 and Gallinules also adopt a similar device. 



While Parrots are among the most gaudily coloured of birds, 

 there are some species which are quite dull-coloured. 



Though the Parrots are commonly supposed to be peculiar in that 

 they can raise the upper jaw, which moves on the skull by a hinge, 

 this is not really so ; many other birds also have the upper jaw 

 similarly hinged. But the Parrot's beak is peculiar in this, that 



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