26 MANUAL 



quently their note is a discordant scream. The tarsus is not 

 ridged behind; but composed merely of scutellate plates 

 tli rough out. 



ORDER II PICARIAE 



Latin picus, a woodpecker. 

 They have the hind toe rarely equal to, generally less than, 

 the middle claw. Toes in pairs. All toes excepting the mid- 

 dle one capable of being reversed. Tarsus covering never en- 

 tire behind. Bill without cere. Greater wing-coverts as long 

 as or longer than one-half the primaries. Tail generally of 

 ten perfect feathers. The birds of this order (together with 

 the Parrots) have been variously named by former writers as, 

 Strisores, Sc'ansores, and Zygodactyli ; all referring to 

 the same or very nearly the same groups which we now com- 

 bine under the name of Picarine (Woodpecker-like) Birds, 

 from the similarity of the characters and disposition of the 

 feet in all of them, being very short and week. 



The Sub-orders are three : [The birds of this order fall 

 naturally into three groups, the birds of each group very 

 closely resembling each other ; yet, without doubt, this is the 

 most difficult order to define in all ornithology, and wheu de- 

 fined the most unsatisfactory]. 



Sub-order 1 CYPSELI or Swift-like Birds 



Greek kvpselos, a species of swallow. 

 Wings long and pointed ; feet weak and small : toes never 

 in pairs. [Some birds have the anterior outer toe reversible, 

 so that they seem as if two in front and two behind (owls will 

 sometimes present this peculiarity) they are theu called Zygo- 

 daetylous] ; bill variously shaped, but weak ; syrinx with one 

 pair of muscles. 



Sub-order 2 CUCULI or Cuckoo-like Birds 



Latin cuculus, a cuckoo. 

 Feet generally small ; toes usuallyzygodactyle ; bill vary- 



