GENEEAL CHABACTEES. 9 



Bill longer than the head, sometimes very 

 long ; straight, or bent upwards, or arched more 

 or less downwards. The lower mandible enters 

 within the upper, dilating a little (sometimes 

 not at all) towards the point, and equalling the 

 upper mandible in length. Edges of both man- 

 dibles sometimes denticulated, or serrated, near 

 the tip. 



Nostrils basal; very small; covered by the 

 advanced feathers of the forehead ; placed in a 

 lateral fosset ; separated by a slight ridge. 



Wings with the quill feathers graduated ; the 

 first the longest, and so on in succession ; shafts 

 strong and elastic; sometimes dilated at the 

 base. 



Tail composed of ten feathers ; very variable 

 in length and form. In certain species the tail 

 has been said to consist only of six feathers, but 

 this is a mistake, arising from the minuteness of 

 the four central feathers, which are altogether 

 obscured by the tail coverts. 



Tarsi short, delicate, naked, or plumose ; hav- 

 ing in front three nearly equal toes ; the two in- 

 ternal ones a little connected at their base, the 

 hind toe rather stout ; all furnished with com- 

 pressed hooked claws, which are rather robust 

 in proportion to the toes. 



Tongue long, extensible ; divided at the summit 

 into two (tubular) filaments, or rolled up filaments, 

 and supported by very long branches of the 

 os hyoides passing round the back of the skull, 

 acting after the manner of a spiral spring. 



