GENCS PAL.EORNIS. 



THE genus Pal&ornis, as characterized by Mr 

 Vigors, is distinguished by having the bill thickish, 

 with the upper mandible dilated, the culmen rounded, 

 the tomia deeply toothed or emarginate, the inferior 

 mandible wide, short, and emarginate. Tongue 

 thick and smooth. Wings of mean length, the three 

 first quills the longest, and nearly equal; exterior 

 webs of the second, third, and fourth quills dilated 

 near the middle, tapering towards the apex. Tail 

 graduated with the two middle feathers slender, 

 greatly exceeding the rest in length, with their tips 

 rounded. Feet, the tarsi rather short, claws strong 

 and falcate. 



" The birds," Mr Vigors observes, " that compose 

 this genus, are at first sight distinguished by their 

 superior elegance and gracefulness of form. This 

 character is considerably increased by the construc- 

 tion of the tail, the two middle feathers of which far 

 exceed the rest in length/' The different species of 

 Palaornis known to us, are inhabitants of continen- 

 tal India, its islands, and Africa, with the exception 

 of the Palo?. Barrabandi, which is a native of Aus- 

 tralia. They are held in high esteem for their beau- 



