ORDER SCANSORES. 435 



The Third Order of Birds, Scansores, or 

 Climbers, 



Is composed of birds whose external toe is directed 

 backwards, like the thumb, whereby they have a 

 more solid support, of which some of the genera 

 avail themselves, by hanging and climbing on the 

 trunks of trees. Hence they have been named in 

 common, Climbers, Scansores, although, strictly 

 speaking, the term does not apply to all of them, and 

 many birds climb Without belonging to this order, by 

 the arrangement of the toes, as we have seen already 

 in the creepers and nuthatches. 



The birds proper to this order build, in general, 

 in holes of old trees ; their flight is middling ; their 

 food, like that of the Passeres, consists of insects and 

 fruits, accordingly as their bill is more or less strong ; 

 some, as the woodpeckers, have peculiar means of 

 obtaining their food. 



The sternum in most of the genera has two slopes 

 behind ; but in the parrots there is nothing but a 

 hollow, and this is often filled up. 



The Jacamars. (Galbula. Briss.) 



Are nearly allied to the kingfishers, by their elon- 

 gated, sharp, quadrangular bill, and by then' short 



F F 2 



