102 ON THE CLASSIFICATION | OF BIR 
icterocephalus Bonp. (fig. 155.). There is still anotl 
characteristic of these birds: to enable them to retain : 
firm hold on the smooth stems of the maize and othe! 
grain, upon which they feed, their claws are slender anc 
acute; while the tail (always bent downward when 
bird is in such attitudes) is frequently worn at its ex 
tremity. In the scansorial genus (Dolichonyx Swains.), 
this habit is actually accompanied by the scansorial 
structure of tail, the feathers of which are rigid and 
pointed. The most interesting genus in this group is 
the Molothrus pecoris or cow-bunting, of Wilson, — 
_ the only bird, except the cuckoo, which deposits its eggs” 
in the nests of other birds. “ 
(118.) The Icrerina, or hangnests, form the | 
fifth and last division of this family, and they are so 
intimately connected with it, that naturalists have not 
hitherto been aware of their true distinction. This is” 
also strictly a South American group ; gregarious, wary, — 
and ingenious ; building long purse-shaped nests, sus- 
pended from the slender branches of lofty trees ; and feed- : 
ing on fruits and coleopterous insects : yet, unlike all the 
preceding genera, these birds are never seen upon the 
( ground: the legs, indeed, are 
robust, but theyare short, andthe 
claws broad, strong, and fully — 
curved (fig. 156.) : the subordi__ 
‘nate types are well distinguished 
by slight but perfectly character- 
istic differences in the form of 
the bill, wings, and tail; the 
full perfection of the group being — 
seen in Jcterus, not, as it has 
been thought, in Cassicus, which | 
is the rasorial type. That we | 
_ have now traversed the circle o: 
this family, and have again ar= 
rived at the boat-tails, will be apparent to every one 
who is acquainted with the genus Scaphidura Swains. 
as now restricted; a bird which has, indeed, been 
~~ 
oe 12 &as~ 
MEN TS 
OP ESET. 
ewe: ey 
