ORNITHOLOGY. 



571 



Insessores. tered morning and evening from the deepest recesses of the 



N ""— v"—" - forests. We have sometimes caught a distant view of them, 



perched upon the topmost branches of the loftiest trees.'' 1 



In the genus Procnias (now more restricted than by 

 Hoffmansegg) the bill is likewise very broad, and deeply 

 cleft, but the structure is firmer, and the upper mandible 

 more convex. The nostrils are basal. Example, P. ven- 

 tralis, Illiger, PL Col. 5. 



In the not very closely allied genus Ceblepyris, Cuv. 

 which Mr Swainson classes as the most aberrant division 

 of the shrikes, the bill resembles that of the Cotingas, but 

 the shafts of the rump-feathers are sharp pointed. These 

 birds inhabit chiefly Africa, and prey on caterpillars. Ex- 

 ample, C. phcenicopterus, Temm. PL Col. 71. 



The genus Gymnodera, Geoff, (which forms a portion 

 of the CoracincB of Vieillot), has the bill stronger than in 

 any of the preceding Ampelidce, the neck is partially bare, 

 and the head covered with velvety feathers. There does 

 not seem to be more than one species (G. nudicollis), de- 

 scribed by Shaw under the name of bare-necked grakle. 

 It was classed by Gmelin and Latham as a crow, — the 

 Corvus nudus of their respective works. 



The Drongos (genus Edolius, Cuv.) have tne bill par- 

 tially depressed and notched, and its upper ridge sharp ; 

 but it is distinguished by both mandibles being slightly 

 arched through their whole extent, and the nostrils are 

 covered with feathers. The species are rather numerous, 

 and are characteristic of the tropical countries of the East. 

 The Malabar shrike of Shaw (Edolhis remifer, Temm. see 

 Plate CCCXC. fig. 7) affords a good example. The posi- 

 tion of this genus ought certainly to be in closer approx- 

 imation to the LaniadcB than it is in the arrangement 

 of Baron Cuvier. Their habits are insectivorous, and some 

 of the species are said to warble as sweetly as the nightin- 

 gale. They usually dwell together in society, pursue bees 

 with great avidity, and are often seen to combine in large 

 groups on the outskirts of the forests during morning and 

 evening. The species we have figured is a native of Java 

 and Sumatra. 



In the genus Phibalura of Vieil. the ridge of the bill 

 is arched, as in Edolius, but shorter, broad at the base, 

 somewhat dilated laterally, and slightly notched. The 

 only known species is a beautiful South American bird 

 (Ph. jlavirostris, Vieil. ; Ph. cristata, Swain., Zool. Illust. 

 pi. xxxi.), which appears to occur chiefly in the mining dis- 

 tricts of Brazil. It was very rare a few years back, but 

 has now become comparatively common in collections, in 

 consequence of several recent importations. 



We come now to an extensive group, the ancient Ta- 

 nagers, genus Tanagra of Linn., which, like most of the 

 other genera, has in recent times been numerously sub- 

 divided. The bill is convex, sub-triangular at the base, 

 the upper mandible slightly arched, curved at the point, 

 notched, the margins flexuous and enlarged ; the nasal fossae 

 are deep and large, and closed by a membrane ; the nos- 

 trils are rounded. The wings are rather short. The Ta- 

 nagers are characteristic of America. They feed both on 

 grain and insects, and are remarkable for the beauty and 

 brilliancy of their plumage. The following are the princi- 

 pal subdivisions. In Euphonia, Desm. (Tangaras bouv- 

 reuils, Cuv.), the bill is short, and exhibits, when viewed 

 vertically, an enlargement at the base on either side. The 

 tail is also short in proportion. Examples, — Tan. violacea, 

 Lath., — Pipra musica, Gmel., — Tan. diademata, PL Col. 

 243, — and Tan. chlorotica, Gmel. See Plate CCCXC. 

 fig. 9. In the genus Saltator, Vieil. (Tangaras gros- 

 bee, Cuv.), the bill is conical, thick, inflated, as broad as 

 high, the culmen rounded. Such are Tan. magna, atra, 



Jlammiceps, &c. In the restricted genus Tanager (pro- Insessores. 

 perly so called) the bill is short, though longer than in *—■ "~ v~' 

 Euphonia, as broad as high, slightly compressed. Exam- 

 ples, T. tricolor, thoracica, auricapilla, &c. In the genus 

 Tachyphonus, Vieil. (Tangaras loriots, Cuv.), the bill i3 

 more lengthened, conical, compressed, arched, sharp point- 

 ed. Examples, T. cristata, nigerrima, &c. In the genus 

 Pyranga, Vieil. (Tangaras cardinals, Cuv.), the bill is 

 strong, lengthened, the point but slightly curved, the mar- 

 gin of the upper mandible often strongly toothed. The 

 wings are rather long. The habits of several of the spe- 

 cies of this genus are better known than those of the pre- 

 ceding, in consequence of their more hardy constitution, 

 which enables them to spend the summer months in North 

 America. One of the most beautiful of these is the scar- 

 let tanager (Tanagra rubra, Linn.). Among all the birds 

 that inhabit the woods of the United States, there is none, 

 according to Wilson, that strikes the eye of a stranger, or 

 even of a native, with so much brilliancy as this. Seen 

 among the green leaves, with the light falling strongly on 

 his plumage, he appears most beautiful. His whole plu- 

 mage, with the exception of the wings and tail, is of the 

 most vivid carmine red. The wing-coverts, posterior se- 

 condaries, and middle tail-feathers, are black, and form a 

 rich contrast to the other portions of the plumage. After 

 the autumnal moult the male becomes dappled with 

 greenish yellow. The colour of the female is green above 

 and yellow below ; her wings and tail are brownish-black, 

 edged with green. Though this lovely species sometimes 

 builds in orchards, and visits cherry trees for the sake of 

 their fruit, it does not frequently approach the habitations 

 of man, but prefers the solitude of the umbrageous woods, 

 where, in addition to fruits, its food consists of wasps, hor- 

 nets, and humble-bees. The scarlet tanager comes just 

 within the limits of the fur-countries, but is unknown as 

 yet beyond the forty-ninth degree. His nest, placed up- 

 on the horizontal branch of a tree, is built of broken flax 

 and dry grass, so thinly woven that the light is easily seen 

 through itr The eggs are only three in number, of a dull 

 blue, spotted with brown ; but the bird is supposed to breed 

 more than once a year. The genus Pyranga contains also 

 Tan. estiva and other species. 



We conclude our notice of the Tanagers by a brief in- 

 dication of the genus Ramphoceles, Vieil., of which the 

 bill is strong, compressed, with the sides of the lower man- 

 dible so enlarged as to spread backwards towards the 

 cheek. Such is Tanagra Jacapa of Gmelin, a South Ame- 

 rican species, represented in Plate CCCXCI. fig. 2. 



Our next group consists of birds more or less allied to 

 thrushes. In all, the bill is compressed and arched, but 

 the upper mandible is but slightly hooked, and the notch- 

 ing feeble. As in other extensive assemblages of species, 

 however, the structure is considerably varied. The natu- 

 ral regimen is mingled, consisting both of wild fruits, 

 worms, and insects. A few species are gregarious, the 

 majority solitary. Of ten or twelve kinds which inhabit 

 Europe, we have six in Britain, viz. the missel-thrush ( T. 

 viscivorus), the song-thrush ( T. nmsiens), the field-fare 

 (T. pilaris), the red-wing (T. iliacus), the blackbird (T. 

 merula), and the ring-ouzel (T. torquatus). The aspect 

 and general habits of most of these are too familiar to re- 

 quire illustration. The blackbird and the thrush are two 

 of our most delightful and accustomed songsters. 



When snow-drops die, and the green primrose leaves 

 Announce the coming flower, the merle's note 

 Mellifluous, rich, deep-toned, fills all the vale, 

 And charms the ravished ear. The hawthorn bush, 

 New budded, is his perch ; there the gray dawn 



1 Natural History and Classification of Birds, vol. ii. p. 75- 



