DENTIROSTRES. 1.99 



ORDER. INSESSORES. 

 DENTIROSTRES. 



The members of this division of the Insessores, or perching 

 birds, are distinguished by an emargination of one or both 

 mandibles, near the tip of the bill, answering to the tooth 

 or festoon, that is to be observed, more or less, among the 

 different divisions of the Raptores : this emargination, 

 although in few sufficiently developed as to serve the purpose 

 of tearing in pieces their prey, enables them to hold it with 

 firmness and security. This is more distinctly prominent 

 in the Laniadte than in any other families of the tribe, and 

 the habits of the shrikes, and the food sought by them, 

 bear, consequently, more analogy to those of the Raptorial 

 order. 



The bill, in some of the Dentirostres, is lengthened, so 

 as to defend the face from being injured by the struggles 

 of their prey; in others, where the bill is short and broad, 

 stiff bristles or hairs answer equally the purpose of defence. 

 Five natural families are included in this tribe, as spoken of 

 by Selby, to whom we are indebted for the substance of 

 the above remarks, as well as for the generic characters men- 

 tioned below, under the names of Todidae. or Muscicapidte, 

 Laniadae, Merulida, Sylviadez, and Ampelida. The food of 

 this tribe is various ; that of the two first consisting almost 

 exclusively of insects and animal matter ; that of the two 

 next comprises insects, fruits, and berries ; while in the Am- 

 pelidce, which are, with the exception of one species, in- 

 habitants of the New World, vegetable productions form 

 the chief nutriment. 



VOL. I. P 



