146 F. ¥mTi'-^ Prehension in Passerine Birds. [Mat, 



■which I have been able to examine in this regard, does not seem inclined 

 to use its foot ; as indeed one would not expect it to do, seeing its 

 manifestly close relationship to the typical Thrushes, Merula and Turdus, 

 "which in its gait and appearance it so much resembles. For tho 

 Babblers, when on the ground, generally move with a quite different 

 action from the true Thrushes, standing less erect and progressing by 

 more or less bounding hops only, without running as a rule. But Argya 

 earlii appears to be more Thrush-like in its gait than other Babblers, 

 though typical enough in most respects. The New Zealand Thrush 

 (Turnagra) though somewhat resembling a Babbler in gait and tail 

 action, does not, according to the testimony of the keeper of the Western 

 Aviary at the London Zoological Gardens, who watched it for me, 

 use its foot in feeding. 



These differences between Babblers and Thrushes may seem very 

 trivial matters to insist upon, but it must be remembered that the 

 former group is generally admitted to be a very difficult one to define, 

 and this habifc of using the foot in feeding, like a Crow or a Shrike 

 will certainly differentiate most Babblers, large or small, from either 

 Thrushes or Warblers, none of which, so far as I have seen, ever act in 

 this way ; and I have had opportunities of observing, besides other 

 Thrushes and Warblers, Copsychus saularis, Cittocincla macrura, and 

 Orthotomus sutorius, under conditions which should have made them 

 show this action, if it were habitual. 



This distinction in habit is paralleled by the fact that the Troupials, 

 as I have observed in the case of Icterus vulgaris, though simulating the 

 Starlings in form and the Orioles in colour, differ from both these groups 

 in readily making use of their feet when feeding, generally in corvine 

 fashion. 



Of course, habits of this kind may vary in allied groups even ; I do 

 not remember seeing Sparrows (Passer domesticus and montanus) ever 

 use their foot to retain any object, as some Finches, e.g., the Canary 

 will do. And among Cuckoos, while the Crow-Pheasant (Centropus 

 swew5is) uses its foot like a true Crow, the Guira (Guira guira) does 

 not appear to do so, though a bird of similar habit in some respects. 

 Nor do all Parrots even, characteristic as the gesture is, use their feet 

 as hands ; the Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), does not do so, as 

 far as I know. I would not, therefore, press this character too hard. 

 But a habit certainly does seem very persistent in many cases, and 

 the present one should, T think, be allowed a certain amount of weight, 

 in conjunction with other characters. 



Cariously enough, the typical Babblers are strikingly marked off 

 from allied groups by other peculiarities only observable in the living 



