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ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 



Families of the Typical and analogical Tribes of Orders of 



the Dentirostres. Characters. the Insessores. Birds. 



("Head large ; bill de-"j 



] pressed, furnished | 



1 rous ; feed on the ! 

 1 wing. J 



(292.) The reader will bear in mind on this, and all 

 subsequent occasions, that the affinities are expressed 

 perpendicularly, and the analogies horizontally ; in other 

 words, that each of these three columns form a circular 

 group. In the first column the tyrant fly-catchers 

 unite with the tyrant shrikes ; thus bringing the Mus- 

 cicapidce and the Laniadw together. In the second 

 column the Fissirostres pass into the Dentirostres, by 

 means of the broad-billed Prionites in one, and the 

 Todies in the other ; while the union of the Natatores 

 with the raptorial land birds is well known to be effected 

 by those eagles of the ocean, the frigate pelicans. The 

 affinities being now intimated, let us turn to the analo- 

 gies. The Laniadce, being pre-eminently typical of the 

 Dentirostres, are, of course, their representatives. The 

 thrushes (Merulidce), like the conirostral birds, seek 

 their food as much upon the ground as among trees ; 

 both have the feet, in consequence, very perfectly 

 formed, and the bill more than usually lengthened. 

 The typical warblers all live among trees, the ramifica- 

 tions of which they explore, like the scansorial tribe, in 

 search of insects; and their tail feathers, like those of 

 their representatives, are pointed, although in a different 

 manner. In this part of our series, however, the analo- 

 gies become less evident; and their force diminishes 

 still farther on comparing the Ampelidce with the Tenui- 

 rostres. Still there are sufficient resemblances, however 

 remote, to render it probable that others might be found, 

 did we know more of the natural economy of these 

 groups. The typical chatterers, however, like the te- 

 nuirostral genera, have the weakest bills and the shortest 

 feet in their respective circles : no others feed so little 



