264 AVES. 



sparrowhawk-like, with barred plumage ; Coccystes glandarius L., Great Spotted 

 Cuckoo of South Europe. 



Here are allied the Musophagidae (Plaintain-eaters). Corytliaix persa L., 

 Guinea ; Musopliarfa violacea Isert, Plaintain-eater, "\Vesfc Africa. In C'olius 

 the outer and inner toes can be turned backwards or forwards. 



Fam. Picidse (Woodpeckers). Powerfully-built Scansores, with strong 

 chisel-shaped beak, pointed in front, without cere. Metatarsus with trans- 

 verse scales ; feet with strong claws ; with firm tail. The tongue is long, flat 

 and horny, and bears at its end arrow-like, short, recurved hooks ; it can be 

 rapidly protruded to a considerable distance in consequence of a peculiar, 

 mechanism of the hyoid bone. The cornua of the hyoid are bent into wide ^ 

 arches, and extend over the skull to the base of the beak. Picus martius L., 

 Black Woodpecker, Europe and Asia ; P. major L. ; P. tnedius L. ; P. (Piculus) 

 minor L., Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Europe ; P. tridactylus L. ; P. -viridis L.. 

 Green Woodpecker ; P. canus Gm., Greyheaded Green Woodpecker ; lynx 

 torquilla L., Wryneck. 



Fam. Psittaeidae (Parrots). Scansores of the warmer climates, with stout, 

 strongly-bent beak, fleshy tongue, and powerful legs with short metatarsus. 

 The feet, with toes arranged in pairs, are used like a hand to seize the food. The 

 upper beak, which is dentated and covered at its base by a cere, is articulated 

 with the frontal, and its long hooked extremity overlaps the short and broad 

 lower beak. Most of the Parrots belong to America, many also to the Moluccas 

 and Australia. A few are found in Polynesia, New Zealand, and Africa. 



Plictolopliince. Cockatoos. Head usually with movable crest. Plictolophus 

 teucocephalus Less. ; Nympliicus Novw . Hollandlce Gray ; Calyptorliynchw 

 yalcatus Lath., Van Diemen's Land. 



Platycercince. Parrakeets. With moderately pointed, rarely rounded win^ , 

 and long, graduated, wedge-shaped tail. Sittace militaris L., Maccaw, Mexico ; 

 Palceornis Alexandri L., Ceylon. ; Meloptittacua undulatus Shaw (Wellenpa- 

 pagei), Australia ; Pczoporus ormosus Lath., Ground- Parrakeet, Australia ; 

 Platycercus Pennantii Lath., Australia. 



Psittacinos. Tail truncated, or rounded. Psittacus eritJtacus L., Grey Parrot, 

 West Africa ; Pftittacula passerina L., Love-bird, Brazil. 



Tricliorjlossince. Lories. The tip of the tongue is pencil-shaped, with feathery, 

 liorny papillge. Triclioylossus papuensis L., New Guinea ; Nestor mcridionalu 

 L., New Zealand. 



jStrigopince. Kakapos. Of owl-like appearance, with incomplete feather-disc. 

 Strigops liabroptilus Gray, New Zealand. 



Order 6. PASSERES (IXSESSOEES). PASSERINE BIRDS. 



Birds with horny beak, without cere. Metatarsus covered with 

 lamince, or scales. The feet are pedes ambulatorii, p. gressorii, or 

 p. adhamantes. The young are ah: ices. A vocal apparatus with 

 muscles is frequently present. 



The birds included in this large order are of small size, and present 

 great differences in the form of their beak; they fly exceedingly 

 well. When on the ground they hop, or more rarely walk, and 



