HO THE WORLD'S BIRDS. 



been exhibited in the London Zoological Gardens. 

 Lyre-birds are remarkable among the Passerine family 

 in having downy young, the down being uniformly 

 coloured ; but the young are not active. 



Mamos (Drepanidince) are confined to the Sandwich 

 Islands, and therefore not likely to be mistaken for 

 other birds ; they resemble Sun-birds or Finches 

 (which are not native to those islands), having either 

 slender or stout bills, often in the former case much 

 curved. Their tints are red, yellow, or green, not 

 metallic, and they have a peculiar smell, like that of 

 the Petrels. 



Manakins (Piprince) are not to be confused with the 

 " Mannikins " of bird-dealers, which, as mentioned on 

 p. 125, are small Weaver-Finches. The present group 

 includes small fruit- eating New World birds, mainly 

 confined to South America, and haunting forests and 

 bush. They have small beaks but wide gapes, the two 

 outer front toes joined for half their length, and are very 

 often gorgeously coloured. Their shanks are separately 

 scaled behind. 



Nuthatches (Sittince) are small species of about a 

 Sparrow's size, have straight and generally rather strong 

 bills of moderate length, short tails, and large feet 

 with the inner front toe noticeably short ; their pre- 

 vailing colour is blue-grey, or even blue. They are 

 partly vegetable-feeders, although living much on 

 insects, and, unlike any other climbing birds, can climb 

 downwards as well as up. Their nest is placed in a 

 hole. They are sometimes placed in the same family 

 as the Creepers, and, like them, inhabit most of the 

 world except South America ; they are not much 

 addicted to migration. Our familiar species (Sitta 

 caesia) is a good type of the group ; the common 

 American bird (S. carolinensis) , however, differs 

 strikingly in its black cap and white face. In Nut- 

 hatchers the sexes are generally alike, nor do the 



