INSESSORES. 149 



Ord. INSESSORES, Vigors. Perching Birds. 



Syn. Passeres and PicJ2 L. — Passerine, and Zygodactli, 

 Cuv. — Passeres and Scansores of some ; Oscines and Volu- 

 CRES of Bonap ; Oscines and Clamatores, or Cantores and 

 Strepitores, of Blyth. 



Bill very varied in form ; feet either with three toes in front, 

 and one behind^ on the same plane, or with two before, and two 

 behind ; in some few the hind toe reversible, so that all four can 

 be brought to the front, and in a few cases one toe wanting. 



The Insessores, or perching birds, comprise all birds not included 

 among the swimming or wading birds, the gallinaceous, or game 

 birds, and the birds of prey ; and they form the great bulk of the 

 feathered creation, more than two-thirds, indeed nearly three quar- 

 ters, of all known birds belonging to this great order. 



"They comprise," says Mr. Wallace, " at once the most perfect, 

 the most beautiful, and the most familiar of birds. The feathered 

 inhabitants of our fields, gardens, hedgerows, and houses belong 

 to it. They cheer us with their song, and delight as with their 

 varied colors. Their activity and elegant motions are constant 

 sources of pleasure to every lover of nature. They are the birds 

 with which, from our infancy and boyhood, we are most familiar ; 

 and we therefore involuntarily derive from them that ideal, or 

 typical form of animal life, with which we connect the general 

 term Bird. Here, too, the greatest variety of forms and habits 

 is found, which are all connected together by such insensible 

 gradations, that to discover in every case their true affinities has 

 ever been, and still remains, one of the most difficult, and at "the 

 same time most interesting, problems the naturalist has to solve." 



The Insessores differ from all birds, except Raptores, the 

 ArdeidcB, Colwnbidce, Ci'acidce, and Megapodidce, by having the 

 toes all on one plane ; and the birds of prey are conspicuously dis- 

 tinct by their strongly-hooked bill and talons, and by having a cere, 

 which, however, is also possessed by the Parrots. Their head is 

 large, the bill extremely varied in form and size, in some short 



