600 MOUND-BIRD—MOUSE-BIRD 
discovery by Dr. Bureau of the PUFFIN moulting the horny sheath 
of its BILL, together with the outgrowths over the eyes, while the 
fleshy rosette at the corner of the mouth shrinks to insignificance, 
completely changing the bird’s physiognomy, and he has since de- 
scribed the same astonishing metamorphosis as existing in other 
allied forms, including the genera Chimerina, Ombria, and Simorhynchus 
(Bull. Soc. Zool. Fr. 1877, pp. 377-399, pl. v. and 1879, pp. 1-63, 
pls. i-vi.) Mr. Harting has given a translation of the first of these 
papers, with a reproduction of the remarkable plate (Zool. 1878, 
pp. 283-240), and Dr. Coues has published an abstract of both 
(Bull. Nutt. Orn, Club, iii. pp. 87-91, and v. pp. 127, 128). 
MOUND-BIRD, a name sometimes given to the MEGAPODES in 
general, from their mode of nidification, but not applicable to all. 
MOUNTAIN,, a prefix to the name of many birds, but often 
inappropriate, and seldom used except in books, or by persons 
whose knowledge is thereto limited—thus Mountain-Bunting is the 
Snow-BuntineG ; Mountain-Cock the CAPERCALLY ; Mountain-Duck 
several species of Anatide—and in New Zealand apparently 
applied colloquially to Tadorna tadornoides (SHELD-DRAKE) ; Moun- 
tain-Finch the BRAMBLING ; Mountain-Parrot the Kea (see NESTOR) ; 
Mountain-Sparrow the 'Tree-SPARROW, and so on. 
MOUSE-BIRD (Dutch Muisvogel), the name by which in Cape 
Colony, Natal, and other parts of British Africa, the members of 
Brisson’s genus Colius,! Englished CoLy in 1773 by Pennant (Gen. 
B. p. 31), are known—partly, it would seem, from their general 
coloration, but probably more from their singular habit of creeping 
along the boughs of trees with the whole tarsus applied to the 
branch. By the earlier systematists, who had few opportunities of 
examining the internal structure of exotic forms, Colius was usually 
placed among the Fringillidx; but nearly all travellers who had 
seen one or another species of it in life demurred to that view. 
Still its position was doubtful till Dr. Murie, in an elaborate treatise 
on its osteology and systematic place (bis, 1872, pp. 262-280, pl. 
x.) shewed that it was no Passerine, and subsequently (Jdis, 1873, 
p. 190, note) proposed to regard the Family Coliidz as the sole repre- 
sentative of a distinct group (PAMPRODACTYL&)—this word being 
coined to indicate the obvious character of all the toes being 
ordinarily directed forwards, though it is by no means the only 
peculiar character these birds possess. A few years later most of 
Dr. Murie’s views were confirmed by Garrod (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1876, 
pp. 416-419), who added considerably to our knowledge of the 
general anatomy of the Family, which he considered to be related 
on the one hand to the Picid# (WOODPECKER), and on the other to 
1 Some other generic divisions have been suggested, but on grounds so slender 
as hardly to merit consideration. 
