PLEASURES OF ORNITHOLOGY 



33 



From habit, manner, song, to structure pass 

 Of nicest adaption, what their wants, 

 Necessities, existence, may require. 

 Behold their beaks how multiform and long, 

 Or short, or bent, or straight, or narrow, broad : 

 Compress'd as some of Alcad group, in shape. 

 Rude likeness of a Razor, — Bucerids\C) 

 With ridge of horn protuberant and huge. 

 The Conirostres' {^) fitted well the shell 

 Of seeds to crush ; the Raptors' piercing hook 

 To hold or rend ; Grallafors' often long 

 To probe, to pierce, for many a hidden worm : — 

 The Anatids broad, indented i^Fissirosts Q) 

 With ample gape which, while upon the wing. 

 Its prey with ease ingulpbs. Some pointed, sharp 

 To wound the worm or pierce the mucous snail. 

 Tenuirosts\^) that draw from many a flower 

 The juice mellifluous with missile tongue. 

 Even Plaialeai^) with her rostral spoon — * 



Ramphastosi^) hissing with his mask grotesque. 

 And Loxia curvirostra (J) will evince 

 That best adapted are the beaks for each. 



From Head to Feet go YE.— What wonder still, 

 What wisdom ! The Insessors with long claws 



(') JSwcerids, birds of the Horn-bill TRIBE. — (2) Conirostres, 

 birds with Conic Bills.— (3) Fissirosts, birds with notchkd or 

 GROOVED Bills.— C^; Tenuirosls, birds with Slkkder Bills. — 

 (5) Platalea, Spoon-bill ; particularly Platalea leuorodia.-^ 

 (<5) RamphastoSyToncxii, — (7) Loxia carriros/ra, or Cross-bili,. 



