220 



AVES. 



tllOli 



1,'ukily 



^vllir■h at once indicates tlic propriety of aiTanging it In tlic ])rcsent scries, among \^liicli it is most 

 nearly relutcti to tlic 'I'oncans. Thiy liave but twche ti'itc cer\ical vcrtcijric ; and llie sterniirn, 

 ])rc.sctits n(j atfiuity for tlnrt of lln; Poultry. Tlic stomach is large and 

 Iiut slightly musctilar, CKtciiding into the ahdominal por- 

 tion of the cavity of the hody ; and the intestines are short 

 and \\illioiit ei.cca. Unlike tlie Toucans, however, they possess 

 a small gall-hladdcr ; hut tlie tongue, at least in some of 

 tliern, is similarly harhcd to\vards thij tip. The feet have the 

 litst and fourth toes directed laterally, for which reason llicy 

 cornniiinly perch lcugtli\sisc on tlie horizontal brandies of 

 trees, whie-ii thev iieranibnlatc longitudinall}", clasping the 

 bough nilh their two hili'rally dis]lo.^ed toes, while the others 

 arc directcfl foiwaids. Their nio\eniiiits arc liglit and elegant 

 in the e.>:trcme, a particular in which they differ remarkably 

 from the Colies : they pass with an easy sailing flight from tree 

 to tree ; live in pairs or families according to the season ; 

 subsist almost exclusively upon fruits, and lay four delicate 

 white eggs in the hollows of decayed timber]. 

 Such are 



The Tocr.vcos {Conjlhnix, Illiger),— 

 Fi^', ion— sternum ,.rTnur;in.. Thc bcak of w li i cli d< ics not ascend upon the forehead, [anil 



is generally much compressed], and the head is adnnicd wiih an erectile crest. 



[Seven species are now known, the ground-colour of which is jenerally vivid-green, with some gorgeous crimson 

 on the open wing. ^Ye should observe, that in all this group the featheis are very short upon the rump, being the 

 reverse of \vhat obtains throughout the Poultry. The liead, however, is small, as in the latter.] 



The Fi.ANT.viN-E.^TiiKs {Mmophn'ja. Isert), — 

 Are so named from the fruit on which they sulisist, and are characterized by the base of the bill forming 

 a disk, which covers part of the forcbctnl. 



[They grade, however, into the former, tlie beak becoming more and more inflated, till in one species it for- 

 cibly recalls to mind that of a Toucan. Another is of great size, approaching the stature of a Curassony and has 

 a splendid curled crest, resemhling that otse\"eral of those birds. 



A third genus consists of 



The N,\rE-CRESTS (CJihdiris, Swainson), — 

 Which have a rounded beak approaching that of some Trogons, and hard and sombre mottled pliunage, 

 very unlike that of the others. Their exterior toe is more liiuitcd in its range outw-ard by the con- 

 necting meinbrane. 

 Two species are well known, both from Afrira, like all the jircceding,— one the Plmsintnis J/riiiniii.s of Latham. 



We licrc, at Icugtli, arrive at a sufiicicntly marked iiitcrrn|itiou cf the series of the class of 

 IJirils, to be cuableil to introiluce some remarks on the aiiiuities of the iireecdiuir orders, 

 wliieh we conceive might be arranged most naturallj' as follow. 



I. ScANSORES, as limited to the Parrots. 



II. Rai'tores, or tlie Birds of Prey; which subdivide into two thoroughly distinct 

 sections. 



III. Strei'itores. Screec}ier.<;, consisting of all thc rcmaiiulcr that are not organized upon 

 the detlnitc ty|ie of the Pns'scri/Jrt'. It is ncccssar)- to suliihvide them lirst into three series, 

 ivluch might be designateil Syudacli/U, Zi/i/dtliuii/li, and UeferoiJiicfi/li ; tlie two first of 

 i\hieli names, however, do not rigidly apply in every instauce, the groups being founded rr.tlicr 

 npou the aggregate of the organization, than upon any single cdiaractcr. 



1. Sijiiihiflijli. — These, with the exceiitioii of the ]\[otiiiots, are exclusively nniuial-fceilers, 

 like the Rdplores, to which they succeed; and even thc Jlotmots subsist more n]ion animal 

 than u]Hin vegetable diet. They fall nnder two principal nnuor groups, whiidi we term 

 Biiceroidcf; and Halcyoides. 



