SCANSORES. 127 



Taking the whole together, they are not a very 

 natural order, even in the use of that part of their 

 organisation after which they are named ; for whe- 

 ther, with Cuvier, we call them " climbers," after the 

 habit, which is not general, or with others " yoke- 

 toed," after the structure, which is general, though 

 much modified in the different genera, their feeding 

 the structure of their bills, and many of their modes 

 of life differ greatly from each other. 



In their feeding several of the genera of this order 

 bear a considerable resemblance to the Gallinidae, or 

 poultry birds, at least to those species of them which 

 are natives of the forests of warm countries ; and 

 there are two genera, if not more, natives of Africa, 

 which appear, as it is usually expressed, to "connect" 

 the two, that is, which partake of the characters and 

 display the habits of both. These are the genus 

 Corythmx and the genus Musophaga, the former inha- 

 biting southern Africa and the latter the more tropical 

 parts of that continent. They have partially the 

 bills and wings of the poultry tribes, though from the 

 forks in the sternum being less deep, and that bone 

 in consequence stiffer, they are birds of more conti- 

 nued flight. Their chief relation to the climbing 

 birds consists in the structure of the feet, which have 

 not, however, the toes acting so generally two against 

 two, as in the birds which properly belong to the 

 order, though the exterior so readily admits of a re- 

 versed position. They are tree birds nestling in holes ; 

 and the one which is known in southern Africa is 

 chiefly a vegetable feeder, feeding upon wild fruits. 

 It is a bird of beautiful plumage, bright green, with 

 some of the quills crimson, and an elegant crest on 

 the head. It has sometimes been classed with the 

 cuckoos, apparently from the structure of the feet ; 



