CHAPTER VI. 



SCANSORES, OR CLIMBERS. 



People will be strangely mistaken if they imagine that all the 

 birds which rank in this order possess the faculty of climbing. In 

 reality it is only the privilege of some, and does not belong 

 exclusively even to them, for it is found in some of the Passerines. 

 The essential characteristic of the Climbers lies in this organic 

 disposition — that the external toe, instead of being placed in front 

 like that in other birds, is placed behind, by the side of the thumb. 

 For this reason the denomination of Climbers has been substituted 

 b_y that of Zygodactijles, which is used by Temminck, Vieillot, 

 and others, and which has the advantage of perfectly express- 

 ing the distinctive characteristic of the order, for this word 

 signifies fingers disposed in pairs. Thanks to the formation of 

 their feet, the Climbers can clasp the branches of trees strongly ; 

 thus they are almost continually perched. Their flight is medium, 

 being neither so powerful as that of the Raptores nor so light as 

 that of the Passerines. These birds feed upon fruits or insects, 

 according to the strength of their beaks. They chiefly inhabit 

 warm countries, and their colours are generally brilliant. Lastly, 

 they are all monogamists, with the exception of the Cuckoo. This 

 order is one of the least numerous of the class of birds. It com- 

 prehends but few families, amongst which we will mention the 

 Parrots, Toucans, Cuckoos, Woodpeckers, and Jacamars. 



Parrots. 



Parrots have large, strong, and round beaks ; the upper man- 

 dible strongly hooked and sharp at the extremity, extending 

 beyond the lower, Avhich is rather deeply hollowed. The tongue. 



