TODUS. 153 



rynckus, or flat-billed todies; 3. Todw, or the 

 typical todies ; 4. Lepturus, or tyrant todies ; and, 

 5. Platystera, or African todies. The first, fourth, 

 and fifth of these sub-genera form the aberrant 

 group ; the second we regard as the sub-typical ; 

 and the third as strictly typical of the whole circle. 

 We commence with the sub-genus 



CONOPOPHAGA, 



because it evidently connects Todus with Megalo- 

 phus ; while a glance at its broad, although gradually 

 narrowing bill, shows it to be of an intermediate, 

 structure between Platyrhynchus and Megalophus. 

 The birds belonging to this group, although the 

 largest in size of all the todies, are not bigger than a 

 robin, yet, from the excessive shortness of their tails, 

 they seem to be much smaller ; the tail, in fact, on 

 a superficial glance, would seem as if it had been 

 cut off, for it scarcely projects more than half an 

 inch beyond the long and lax feathers which cover 

 the back and rump. The wings, however, although 

 much rounded, are by no means proportionably 

 short; while the legs and toes are remarkably large, 

 but somewhat slender. We might, from this struc- 

 ture, infer, that these were purely terrestrial birds ; 

 but we are not inclined implicitly to adopt this 

 belief. The daws are very broad and fully curved, 

 the lateral toes unequal, and the outer connected ta 



