INTEODTJCTION. 



99 



trees, to which it clings with its strong feet. This Bird maj 

 serye as an example of a group of about twenty-eight species 

 which are found scattered over the Northern Hemisphere south 

 of the Arctic regions. 



Its peculiar movements recall to mind another nearly allied 

 English Bird, the Comm on Creeper ( Oerthia familiaris), which is 

 found all over England, and has received its name from its 



Pig. 104. 



The Warty-faced Honey-sucker {Meliphaga phrygia). 



creeping motion over tree-trunks, which has been compared to 

 the movement of a mouse. It has a much longer, more slender, 

 and curved bill, and is a type of a group, containing about sixteen 

 species, which is nearly allied to the JSTuthatches. Except one 

 Mexican species they are all Old- World forms and several 

 pertain to Australia. 



Another set of Australian Birds are the Honey-suckers or 

 Honey-eaters, which, with their long, slender, and curved bills, 



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