ORNITHOLOGY. 



that intelligent principle which is denominated Reason, 

 The number of the species already discovered, it is supposed 

 must amount to about three thousand, and when the inner 

 parts of the countries near the South Pole, are farther inves- 

 tigated, there is little doubt but this curious part of Natural 

 History will be still further increased and enlarged. 



To the above general description of the Parrot tribe, we 

 may add this singular circumstance respecting their mouths, 

 namely, that they have the power of opening the mouth 

 wider than any other bird, by means of an elongation of 

 the hinge of the jaw, without which they would be unable 

 to eat their food, owing to the great curvature of the upper 

 mandible of the bill. Their feet are formed like those 

 of the Camelcon, with two claws before and two behind, 

 to enable them to ascend or descend with greater ease 

 amongst the branches of the trees, also to hang downwards 

 and turn round, of which practice they seem to be particu- 

 larly fond. 



The terms used in describing the Parrot, Parroquet, and 

 Lory, have been indiscriminately used and confounded with 

 eacli other, by which great confusion has been introduced. 

 Home of our Naturalists following the example of Latham, 

 have placed the crested Parrots in a distinct family, but 

 there seems hardly a sufficient reason for so doing, for if two 

 birds agree with each other in all respects, excepting the 

 having a crest or having none, the Genera might then 

 become too numerous for any convenient purposes of Clas- 

 sification. Several of the species of Birds which are crested, 

 particularly the Grebes and Starlings, are not divided from 

 their congeners, upon the small circumstance of a differ- 

 ence as above mentioned. The form and length of the 

 Tail is indeed another strong mark; and it seems proper 

 enough that the form of the Bill should be taken into con- 

 sideration. 



