162 NATURAL HISTORY. 
as separate orders; but they all agree in their adaptation 
to climbing, and therefore they are classed together in 
the order Scansores. 
265. The Parrots are characterized by their short, hard, 
arched beaks, and their thick fleshy tongues. They are 
natives of the tropical and warmer temperate regions in 
both hemispheres. They are remarkable for their edu- 
cability and their power of imitation in the use of the 
voice. They have greater prehensile power than any 
other birds, using the beak as well as the feet in grasp- 
ing. On account of this power, their intelligence, and 
their arboreal habits, we may consider the Parrot tribe 
as holding a situation among birds like that which the 
Monkey tribe holds among the Mammalia. 
266. The Toucans, of which one species is represented 
in Fig. 133, are all natives of South America. Their enor- 
mous bills are made light in the same way as those of the 
Horn-bills (§ 244), by being of a honeycomb structure. 
Fig. 133.—Toucan. 
