THE MUSCICAPIDJE. 67 



manner ; the leg is shorter, scarcely indeed exceed- 

 ing the length of the hind-toe ; the toes are parti- 

 cularly small, and (as an additional support to the 

 bird in its sedentary mode of life) the two outer are 

 more or less united, so as to give a hreadth and a 

 support to the sole of the foot which it would not 

 otherwise possess. Nothing will illustrate their dis- 

 tinction hetter than taking an example. Let the 

 student, therefore, compare the feet of the American 

 Red-start (Setophaga rutcilla, Sw.), which is a fly- 

 catching warbler, with the feet of the common 

 American Tyrannula rapax or wood-pierce fly- 

 catcher, and he will at once comprehend the force of 

 the above distinction. 



In regard to the name by which this family should 

 be designated, we have been sadly perplexed, and 

 this has chiefly originated from what we conceive to 

 be the mistaken notions that have been entertained 

 regarding the Todius viridis. Strictly speaking, the 

 name of a group should always be derived from the 

 typical genus ; now if this rule was followed in the 

 present instance, Eurylaimus (which is evidently 

 the type of the whole family) should preserve the 

 generic name of Todus, by which indeed it was 

 known to all the Linnsean writers ; the Todus viri- 

 dis should have received another generic name, and 

 the whole family might then be correctly termed 

 the Todidce; but these alterations would lead to so 

 much confusion, that we have not ventured upon, 

 much less do we recommend, their adoption. Again, 

 as the whole of these birds are flycatchers, we might 



