LORIANA. 163 



bones, which assist so essentially in comminuting 

 the food of the other groups. Their tongue is not 

 so thick or fleshy, and the tip, instead of heing 

 smooth and soft, is rough, and in some furnished 

 with a pencil of setaceous papillae or bristles, si- 

 milar and analogous to the filamentous tongues of 

 the tenuirostral Melliphagidce. This structure, in 

 fact, is bestowed upon them for the same purpose, 

 and performs a similar office, viz. that of extracting 

 the nectar of flowers, and sucking the juices of ten- 

 der fruits, which it appears constitute the principal 

 support of the members of this beautiful division. 

 Of the various genera belonging to the subfamily, 

 besides the true Lories, we may enumerate all the 

 acknowledged members of the genus Trichoglossus 

 of Vigors and Horsf., which also seem to enter 

 among its typical forms, and included among these, 

 or at least in very close connexion, are the birds be- 

 longing to that group, named by Mr Vigors Broto- 

 geris, and typified by the Orange-winged Parrakeet 

 of authors. Another interesting form belonging tu 

 it, and which appears to keep up a connexion with 

 the genus Palceornis of the Maccaw subfamily, is the 

 Charmosyna Papuensis of Wagler (Psittaccus Pa- 

 puensis, Auct.), whose tail, in shape, is nearly similar 

 to that of Palceornis Alexamlri, but the ground or pre- 

 vailing colour of its plumage is assimilated to that of 

 the true Lories, and is of a rich and vivid scarlet. 

 Besides the forms above enumerated, there are others 

 of a diminutive size, chiefly inhabiting the islands of 



