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ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 



hangs, therefore, over other divisions of this family, 

 we feel fully persuaded that Cymindis is the tenuirostral 

 genus of the Falconidce, a further confirmation of 

 which , by the way, will be found in its closed nostrils, 

 opening only by an oblique slit — a universal character 

 among all the humming birds, no less than in the order 

 of Waders. The affinity of Cymindis to Polyborus 

 may be traced in the thickened bill, long wings, and 

 short hind toe ; and we shall now proceed to establish 

 its connection with Nauclerus, a form justly separated 

 by Mr. Vigors % from the other kites, and represented by 

 that beautiful and graceful bird, the swallow or fork- 

 tailed kite of America (fig. 105.) In this type many 



of the characters of Cymindis are retained ; but they are 

 combined with others very dissimilar. The bill (fig.106.) 



is equally hooked; but 

 it is smaller, and there 

 is a small half-angulated 

 festoon in the middle of 

 the upper mandible : the 

 feet, and the proportion- 

 ate length of the toes and 

 of their claws, are all 

 the same ; but the legs 

 are even still shorter, so that the hinder toe, when 

 measured from its base, is exactly the length of the 

 tarsus : its exclusive characters, therefore, are almost 



* Zoological Journal, ii. p. 386. 28. 



