.^46 CLASS AVES. 



We shall beffin it with that of 



"&• 



The Divers, Brachypter^. 



A part of which have some external relation to the 

 water hens. Tlie legs, situated more posteriorly than 

 in any other bird, cause their walking to be painful, 

 and oblige them while on shore to preserve a ver- 

 tical position ; and, moreover, as the greater part of 

 them are bad flyers, and as many of them cannot 

 even fly at all, on account of the excessive shortness 

 of their wings, they may be considered as almost 

 exclusively confined to the surface of the water ; 

 their plumage is therefore closer, and often presents 

 a smooth surface with a silvery brightness. They 

 swim under water with the help of their wings, 

 almost in the manner of fins ; their gizzard is tolerably 

 muscular, and the coecum moderate ; they have a pe- 

 culiar muscle on each side the lower larynx. 



Among these birds the genus of 



COLYMBUS,* L. 



Has for its own peculiar character a smooth, 

 straight, compressed, and pointed bill, with linear 

 nostrils. The differences however in their feet have 

 caused them to be subdivided. 



* The Greek name of these birds. 



