i82 VESTIGES OF THE 



having strong limbs and a Inll entire at the tip. This 

 parity of quaUties becomes clearer when placed in a 

 tabular form : — 



Orders of Birds. Characters. Tribes of Insessores . 



T f Most perfect of their circle ; notch I , v.,.;.-^c.f,v>a 

 Insessores . .- „/.„ „ ' - Louiiostres. 



( of bill small J 



Raptores . . Notch of bill like a tooth . . . Deutirostres. 

 Natatores . . fSliglit^y developed feet ; strong ] pjggirostres. 



( fligbt j 



Grallatores . . Small mouths ; long soft bills . Tenuirostres. 



,^ f Strong feet, short wings ; docile ) ^^ 

 Easores ... - , ■, ^. f Scausores. 



i and Qomestic ) 



Some comprehensive terms are much wanted to 

 describe these five characters, so curiously repeated (if 

 we are to put faith in the theory) throughout the whole 

 of the animal, and probably also the vegetable kingdom. 

 Meanwhile, Mr. Swainson calls them typical, sub-typical, 

 natatorial, suctorial,* and rasorial. Some of his illustra- 

 tions of the principle are exceedingly interesting. He 

 shows that the leading animal of a typical circle usually 

 has a combination of properties concentrated in itself, 

 without any of these preponderating remarkably over 

 others. The sub-typical circles, he says, " do not com- 

 prise the largest individuals in bulk, but always those 

 which are the most powerfully armed, either for inflict- 

 ing injury on their own class, for exciting terror, pro- 

 ducing injury, or creating annoyance to man. Their 

 dispositions are often sanguinary, since the forms most 

 conspicuous among them live by rapine, and subsist on 

 the blood of other animals. They are, in short, symboli- 

 cally types of evil." This symbolical character is most 



* This is preferred to gi-iUalorla], as more comprehensively 

 descriptive. There is the same need for a substitute for rasorial, 

 which is only applicable to birds. 



