178 PI0AEI2E, PICAEIAN BIRDS. 



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is not shown, however, in the Picidm and some others. The tail is indefinitely 

 varied in shape, but the number of its feathers is a good clue to the order. There 

 are not ordinarily more than ten perfect rectrices, and occasionally there are only 

 eight ; the woodpeckers have twelve, but one pair is abortive ; there are twelve, 

 however, in the kingfishers, and some others. 



With this slight sketch of some leading features of the group (it will enable the 

 student to recognize any Picarian bird of this country at least), I pass to the 

 consideration of its subdivision, with the remark, that a precedent may be found for 

 any conceivable grouping of the families that is not simply preposterous, and for 

 some arrangements that are nearly so. As well as I can judge from the material 

 at my command, and relying upon excellent authority for data that I lack, the 

 Picarice fall naturally into thkee divisions. These I shall call suborders, not how- 

 ever insisting in the least upon the question of taxonomic rank, but simply employ- 

 ing the terms conformablj' with my usage in other cases. The three groups may 

 be here tabulated, with remarks calculated to give an idea of their composition : — 



I. CYPSELI — including only the three families CypselidcK, Gaprimidgidce, and 

 TrocMlidcB — the swifts, goatsuckers, and hummingbirds. They are birds of re- 

 markable volitorial powers ; the wing is pointed, and very long, in its feathers and 

 terminal portions, though the upper arm is very short. The feet are extremely 

 small and weak, and are scarcely if at all serviceable for progression. The hind 

 toe is sometimes versatile (among the swifts) or somewhat elevated (in the goat- 

 suckers and some swifts) ; the front toes are frequently connected at base by mov- 

 able webbing (goatsuckers), and sometimes lack the normal number of phalanges 

 (among swifts and goatsuckers). The variously shaped tail has ten rectrices. One 

 family (hummingbirds) shows the tenuirostral type of bill ; the other two, the 

 fissirostral, on which account they used to be classed with the swallows. The 

 sternum is broad, with a deep keel, entire or doubly notched (rarely singly notched) 

 behind ; the syrinx has not more than one pair of intrinsic muscles. 



II. CUCULI' — comprehending the great bulk of the order ; in all, about fifteen 

 families, rather more than less. They are only readily limited \>j exclusion of the 

 characters of the preceding and following groups. The sternum is usuallJ^ notched 

 behind ; the syringeal muscles are two pairs at most. The feet are generally short ; 

 the disposition of the toes varies remarkably. In the Coliidce, or colics, of Africa, 

 all the toes are turned forward. In the Trogonidce, the second toe is turned back- 

 ward, so that the birds are zygodactyle, but in a different way from all others. 

 Families with the feet permanently zygodactyle in the ordinary way by reversion 

 of the fourth, or partially so, the outer toe being versatile, are — the CucuUdoe, or 

 cuckoos, with their near relatives the Indicatoridce, or guide-birds of Africa ; the 

 Ehamphastidce, or toucans, confined to tropical America and distinguished by their 

 enormous vaulted bill ; the Musopliagidw, plantain-eaters or touracos, of Africa ; 

 the Bucconidce and Capitonidw, or barbets of the New and Old World respectively ; 

 and the Galbididce, or jacamars, of America. In the remaining groups, the toes 

 have the ordinary position, but sometimes offer unusual characters in other respects. 

 Thus in the Alcedinidce (kingfishers), and Momotidce (motmots or sawbills), the 

 middle and outer toes are perfectly coherent for a great distance, constituting the 

 ayndactyU or anisodactyle foot. The Dmerotkh^, or hornbills, of the Old World, 

 characterized by an immense corneous process on the bid, are near relatives of the 

 kingfishers ; so are the Todidw, a. group of small brightly colored birds of Mexico 

 and the West Indies. Other forms, all Old World, are the Meropidai or bcc-eaters. 



