the Family of Cuculidce. 219 



divisions of the tribe unite among themselves, and form a circle of 

 affinity, and I shall then endeavour to trace the same principle of 

 circularity in such of the minor groups or sub-families as are most 

 abundant in species. 



Commencing with the Picidce or woodpeckers, which are obvi- 

 ously the pre-eminent type of the scansorial birds, we see a gra- 

 dual approximation towards the soft tail, the green, bright-coloured 

 plumage, and the curved, toothed bill of the parrots in the barbuts 

 (Bucco,) and the tooth-bills (Pogonias, L.) The first of these genera 

 so much resemble the Psittacida in the style and similarity of their 

 colouring that they might be taken for parrots, if their bills and feet 

 did not evince an equal relation to the woodpeckers. The asser- 

 tion of M. Temminck, that these birds do not climb,* is completely 

 disproved by Mr Burchell, who assures me, from his personal obser- 

 vations, they have nearly the same scansorial habits as the Piciance, 

 — a fact confirmed, indeed, by the structure of their feet. Next to 

 these we have the genus Pogonias, whose short, curved, and toothed 

 bill brings us so close to the Psittacidce, that one genus more would 

 render the union of these families complete ; although it is even now 

 so obvious that no question can be raised on this point. Leaving 

 the Psittacidce, we enter among the toucans, by the green-coloured 

 Aracaris, which have very properly been lately separated as a dis- 

 tinct group : these birds, in short, connect the toucans to the par- 

 rots in the same manner as Pogonias unites the parrots with the wood- 

 peckers. It is thus we enter the family of the Ramphastidce or tou- 

 cans, the fissirostral division of the Scansores, where, as in all perfect 

 fissirostral types, we have great bulk, a very large or wide mouth, 

 and small syndactyle feet, — that is, with the toes more or less unit- 

 ed. I may here advert to a fact in the economy of the toucans 

 hitherto unpublished, and which gives an additional confirmation of 

 their affinity to the Psittacidce. Many, if not all, of the parrots, as 

 it is well known, employ their hooked bill as an organ of prehen- 

 sion. My observations on the toucans of Brazil lead me to believe 

 that they occasionally do the same, while climbing among the en- 

 tangled foliage and branches in search of birds' nests, from which 

 they greedily snatch either the eggs or the young. The Australian 

 Sythrops, or channelbill, is a cuckoo, with the bill of a toucan ; 

 and thus we pass from one family to the other so gradually, that 

 analysis alone can determine to which this singular genus belongs. 



* M. Temminck gives no authority for this opinion, which must have been 

 copied from other authors, he himself never having travelled out of Europe. 



