8 cassell's book of birds. 



where ihey tenninate i:i a horizontal sht-shaped aperture. The thread-like tongue, which is very- 

 long, and greatly resembles that of a butterfly, consists of two fine tubes, which run side by side, and 

 are closely connected along their under surface ; a longitudinal groove is interposed between them 

 above. The arrangement of the bones at the base of the tongue, whereby the lingual apparatus is 

 capable of considerable protrusion, is very similar to that observable in the Woodpecker. The feet 

 are powerful, but of medium length, and the wings (in which the fourth quill is the longest) are of 

 moderate size. The sexes are very similar in the coloration of their plumage, in which brownish 

 green, and more or less lively yellow, grey, or green, predominate. 



The Spider-eaters usually frequent the most shady retreats in their favourite woods, and but 

 rarely ascend the branches to more than fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. In the Sunda Islands 

 they are principally met with in the coffee plantations, the brushwood that skirts the mountains, or in 

 the thickets of trees and shrubs that surround the villages. In all these situations they are numerous, 

 and are constantly to be seen as they flit from flower to flower in search of the insects and honey 

 upon which they subsist. Small spiders are said to be eagerly devoured by all the members of this 

 family, hence their name of Arachnothcra. The flight of the Spider-eaters, which is extremely rapid, 

 and in many respects like that of the Woodpecker, is observed by the natives with a superstitious 

 attention, fully equalling the reverence paid by the Romans to the predictions drawn by their augurs 

 from a similar source. 



The HALF-BILLS {Hemigiiathus) are a group of Spider-eaters that are easily recognisable 

 by the strange formation of their beak ; the upper mandible terminates in a sharp point, and is always 

 much longer than the under portion of the bill, sometimes twice its length. The toes, also, are 

 comparatively long, and the foot short. The plumage is usually green upon the back, and of a 

 yellowish tint beneath. All the members of this group inhabit Oceania. 



THE BRILLIANT HALF-BILL. 

 The Brilliant Half-bill {Hemigiiathus lucidus), one of the most beautiful members of this 

 group, is olive-green upon the entire mantle, shading into grass-green on the top of the head and at 

 the edges of the wings. A stripe over the eyes, and the sides of the head and throat are orange-red ; 

 the breast is bright yellow, the belly of a paler shade, and its lower portion greenish grey. In young 

 birds the back and region of the eye are olive-green, the under side light greenish grey, and the belly 

 pale yellow. This species is six inches long, but of this measurement one inch and three-quarters 

 belong to the tail, and one inch and a quarter to the beak ; the lower mandible does not exceed 

 eight lines in length. We are wdthout particulars as to the life of this bird, except that it inhabits 

 the Pisang plantations. 



The HANGING BIRDS {AracJmocestrd) are recognised by the great length of their slightly- 

 curved beak, the base of which is as broad as it is high \ the upper mandible is delicately incised, 

 and the entire bill of almost equal thickness, only tapering gently towards the extremity ; the legs are 

 slender, the toes long, and the wings (in which the fourth, fifth, and sixth quills exceed the rest in 

 length) of moderate size ; the tail is short and rounded. 



THE TRUE HANGING BIRDS. 

 The True Hanging Birds {Arachnocestra longirostris) are olive-green on the back, and sulphur- 

 yellow on the under side ; the throat and upper breast are white, the quills and tail-feathers deep 

 brown, the former edged with olive, and the three outer tail-feathers tipped with white ; the beak and 



