WHITE-FACED BARBET. Monasa 



common starling. It i also a native of Southern America. This bird has been chosen 

 as a representative of the genus Monasa, a small group of birds which has been separated 

 from the other Barbets on account of the form of the beak and the structure of the wing. 



The last example of these curious birds is the WHITE-BACKED BAEBET, which serves 

 to represent the genus Chelidcptera. This is a much smaller bird than either of the 

 preceding examples, but is notable on account of the curious manner in which its plumage 

 is diversified with black and white. The general tint of the body is sooty black, but 

 upon the back there is a conspicuous patch of white, and a considerable amount of white 

 is scattered over the middle of the wings, and upon the under tail-coverts. It is also a 

 native of Southern America. 



So highly gifted are these birds with that quality which is called " adhesiveness " by 

 phrenologists, that when they have once selected a twig as a resting-place, they will 

 remain faithful to their choice, and for month after month may be seen sitting on the 

 identical perch, lethargic and happy. They are solitary birds, never being seen in 

 flocks, and very seldom in pairs, residing always in the murkiest recesses of the deep 

 forests, in preference to the open country, and sitting on their low perch in spots which 

 the foot of man seldom penetrates. 



KINGFISHERS. 



THE KINGFISHERS form a tolerably well marked group of birds, all of which are 

 remarkable for the length of the bills and the comparative shortness of their bodies, 

 which gives them a peculiar bearing that is not to be mistaken. 



The bills of these birds are all long and sharp, and in most cases are straight. Their 

 front toes are always joined together more or less, and the number of the toes is very 



