150 TODUS. 



pearance gave warning to some hapless insect which 

 could fly, and the attempt was made, the tody 

 would then make a little taltus, or jumping flutter, 

 two or three inches from the branch, and peradven- 

 ture seize the insect ; hut if not, it would still 

 continue its search for others, as if its wings were 

 too feeble to sustain that sudden and vigorous flight 

 which the true flycatchers can employ when so 

 engaged. Now, as the species above alluded to is 

 a typical example of the whole group, we may 

 fairly and justly suppose that such are the typical 

 liabits ; nor will this at all interfere with the fact 

 that has been stated (but on somewhat questionable 

 authority) regarding the green tody, which is said 

 to frequent the ground in search of food as well as to 

 frequent trees. Whether such a union exists in 

 one and the same species may well be questioned ; 

 but the group, however small, would not be a 

 Tiatural one, did it not contain one which was to 

 give us the rasorial or the grallatorial habit of walking 

 on the ground, no less than another, which had the 

 tail more developed than usuaL The todies, we 

 ire still speaking of the most typical species, have 

 *he rictu* or gape very slightly bristled* ; and, in 

 some species, these bristles are nearly obsolete. 

 We infer from this, that the food of these birds 

 consists of small weak insects, probably larvae, ra- 

 ther than of such as are able to make vigorous 

 struggles in their attempts, when caught, to escape ; 



* Platyrhynchus, as will presently appear, is the sub-typical 

 form. 



