132 ELEMENTS OF ORNITHOLOGY, 
groups, and this was done by Cuvier, who mainly rested his 
divisions on the form of the beak. Thus, as the Shrikes have a 
marked notch or “ tooth” on either side of the bill, he placed 
them in a group called toothed-billed or Dentirostral Birds— 
associating with them the Flycatchers, Tanagers, Waxwings, 
Thrushes, Orioles, Warblers, Manakins, Lyre-birds, the Water 
Ouzel, Wren, Wagtails, Pipits, and Mynas. 
The Swallows, Swifts, and Goatsuckers, on account of their 
wide gape, were also associated together as wide-mouthed or | 
Fissirostral Birds. 
The vague name of cone-shaped beak was bestowed on the 
Larks, Tits, Buntings, Sparrows, and other Finches (including 
the very exceptional Crossbill), Colies, Oxpeckers, Starlings, 
Pastors, Crows, Magpies, Jays, Rollers, Birds of Paradise, and 
Woodpeckers. These were all spoken of as “ Conirostral 
Birds.” 
The remaining Passerine Birds, all of which have long, and 
most of them slender bills, were taken together in a group 
designated as “ Tenuirostral Birds.” Such were the Humming- 
birds, Sun-birds, Creepers, Bee-eaters, Honey-eaters, Hoopoes, 
Motmots, Todies, Nuthatches, and Kingfishers. 
Thus there were recognized in popular Ornithology :—(1) 
Raptorial Birds; (2) Tenuirostral *, Conirostral, and Denti- 
rostral Passerine Birds; (3) Scansorial Birds ; (4) Cursorial 
Birds ; (5) Gallinaceous Birds ; (6) Grallatorial Birds; and (7) 
Natatorial Birds ; and these constituted the primary groups into 
which Birds were divided by Cuvier. These divisions have, for 
the most part, become obsolete ; but it is none the less desirable 
that the beginner should not be altogether ignorant of them. 
We have now enumerated the more leading forms of Birds, 
and the student who has acquired some slight knowledge of each 
of the groups whereof a named type has been here put before 
him, will be able to set forth on a serious study of the whole class 
of Birds. He must not suppose, however, that all the more im- 
portant forms have been as yet indicated. To set out a complete 
list is impossible in an introductory chapter, except at the cost 
of making it so burthensome as to defeat the very object for 
which it has been written. Nevertheless, we believe the forms 
herein brought forward and distinguished aresufficient in number 
for our purpose, so that it will be enough hereafter, when intro- 
* See below, p. 144. 
