148 GRALLATORES i WAlJERS O^ StlLTED S^IRfiS. 



taining tach one family. Of the remainder, three which hate a' 

 strong natural affinity have been frequently included under the 

 common name of Gallinaceous birds, (game and poultry), and of three 

 more one is but a family of swimming birds and another is an inter- 

 mediate group between swimmers and waders, containing some forms' 

 belonging to each, and combined by an altogether artificial character- 

 Thus we get back without difficulty to the six great orders indicated 

 above, and all the differences among systematists will be explained 

 and removed if we only avoid confusing families with orders, and 

 take such pains in ascribing to the orders their true distinctions as- 

 mot to admit transition groups founded on inferior and merely artifi- 

 cial characters. We must, however, in receiving the six orders of 

 birds, observe the peculiar position which one of them occupies in 

 i-espect to the others. The perching birds (Insessores) are more 

 numerous than all the other orders of birds taken together ; they 

 present to us the true type of bird-life from which the other orders 

 are deviations, and their suborders or gteat sections are quite as well 

 distinguished as the other orders and present such remarkable analo- 

 gies with them that we seem, on the whole, to have two circles exhi- 

 biting different degrees of development, but having corresponding 

 divisions of about equal importance. It may be convenient at present 

 to count Insessores as one order and its secondary groups as suborders, 

 but whether we consider the value of the distinctions or the number 

 of species included it will be found to be really the case that whilst 

 we collect under the name Insessores or perching birds, five orders 

 well distinguished by external characters and modes of life, each of 

 these is represented by one of the other five orders of birds which 

 display more exaggerated forms of the same general structure. Itf 

 adopting, therefore, six orders of birds we really receive ten arranged 

 in two series the members of which analogically correspond one with 

 another, each having its proper place necessarily resulting from the 

 characteristic by which it is distinguished. 



Now as to the series in which the orders of birds may be most 

 naturally placed, all seem agreed that the rapacious birds (Raptores) 

 should stand first, to which I cannot entirely assent, as I deem it 

 necessary to keep the Perch ers separate from all the others, and 

 though it signifies littie whether they stand first or last, if the latter 

 position were chosen we ought in consistency to begin with the lowest 

 forms ascending to the higher, in which case the Swimmers (Natatores) 



