TENUIROSTRES. 321 



TENUIROSTRES. 



When alluding to this magnificent tribe, in a former part of our work, we forgot 

 that two charming little Humming-birds entered the geographic range prescribed 

 to our Northern Zoology, and would therefore require a detailed notice. We 

 shall thus be enabled to complete our sketch of the entire order of Insessores 

 and of the natural families composing it, by giving the following table as the 

 result of our researches in this tribe. 



1. Typical group. 



Analogies. Families. 



f Bill very soft, the margins entire and mem- \ 



CONIEOSTRES. { , } TrOCHILIDjE. 



branaceous. 



{ 



2. Sub-typical group. 



Bill soft, obsoletely notched, the margins minutely 1 



DeNTIROSTRES. { , ,. . - . > ClNNYRID^E. 



denticulated, the tip very acute. J 





SCANSORES. 



TENUIROSTRES. 



FlSSIROSTRES. 



3. Aberrant group. 



Bill hard, the tip not flexible or acutely pointed, 

 the under mandible exposed. 



MELIPHAGIDvE. 



PaRADISIDvE. 



PrOMEROPIDjE. 



Upon the first column of analogies, which well deserves the attention of 

 ornithologists, we cannot at present dwell. But some highly interesting results, 

 which have very recently attended our investigation of the theory of analogies, 

 induces us to offer the above series to the notice of zoologists with some degree 

 of confidence. 



The respective circles of the typical and sub-typical groups are complete, only 

 one genus among the Cinnyridce remaining to be characterized*. In regard to 

 the aberrant group, it is obvious that a form which presents us with the bill of a 

 Promerops and the feet of a Honey-sucker, would be sufficient to render the circle 

 not very incomplete. Such a form we actually see in the magnificent Ptiloris 

 paradiseus, Swains., the Rifle-bird of the Australian colonists ; some ornitho- 

 logists still persist in placing it with the Promeropidce, while others consider it as 

 belonging to the Meliphagidce. Can we have a better proof of its affinity 

 to both these families ? 



The genus Nectarinia, into which the sub-genus Dacnis of M. Cuvier merges, 

 is the fissirostral type of the Cinnyridce, and conducts us at once into the 

 circle of the 



• Anthreptes, Nobis. — See Appendix. 



2 T 



