162 LORIANA. 



It is the second aberrant group of the family, repre- 

 senting the tenuirostral tribe of the Insessores, and 

 consequently is analogous to the order Grallatores 

 in the class Aves ; and to the Glires among the 

 Mammalia. In conformity with these analogies, the 

 existence of which have been traced and followed out 

 in various departments of zoology, with such per- 

 spicuity and convincing force, by one of the first 

 naturalists of the age,* we find the habits as well as 

 the structure of the birds composing it, deviating in 

 a striking manner from those of the conterminous 

 groups, of course most conspicuously so, in such as 

 constitute the typical or representative forms. The 

 difference of structure to which we allude is in the 

 shape of the bill and tongue, the former member be- 

 ing weaker and slenderer in its proportions than in 

 the other Parrots, especially as regards the under 

 mandible, which is lengthened arid less convex in its 

 contour, with the tip contracted and narrow, and the 

 tomia or cutting edges straight and without emargina- 

 tion ; the inner surface of the overhanging point of 

 the upper mandible, which in the other groups is 

 rough and like a file, with lines crossing each other 

 at right angles, to give them a firm hold of nuts or 

 seeds, is smooth or nearly so, and the ridge opposing 

 the tip of the under mandible, which in the typical 

 Parrots is prominent and strongly marked, is but 

 slightly indicated or altogether wanting in the Lo- 

 riance, as are also the prominences of the palatial 

 * MrSwainson. 



