﻿ANALOGIES OF THE DENTIROSTRES. 



351 



upon insects ; and no others change their plumage twice 

 every year : this latter character, indeed, is one of those 

 which assimilates both groups to the Grallatorex much 

 more than we formerly supposed, before we had ascer- 

 tained the fact of this peculiarity being confined to 

 tenuirostral types. Having now reached the most 

 aberrant groups in the circles we are tracing, nature 

 begins to return to her original types ; and both the 

 affinities and the analogies become stronger as they 

 approach the groups standing at the head of each co- 

 lumn. Thus every ornithologist knows how completely 

 the Muscicapidce resemble the Fissirostres in their small 

 depressed bill, their slender feet, their purely insectivo- 

 rous diet, and their habit of taking their prey only upon 

 the wing. The analogy, in fact, blends into an affinity ; 

 because the Muscicapidce is that division of the den- 

 tirostral tribe which passes into the fissirostral, and 

 connects the two circles. It is wholly unnecessary to 

 enlarge upon the analogies indicated by the third co- 

 lumn ; for, if those between the first and second are 

 valid, it follows that those of the first and third are 

 equally so ; seeing that we have already shown in what 

 way the tribes of the Insessores represent the orders of 

 birds (282.). 



(293.) Some very interesting facts will be elicited by 

 our next comparing the dentirostral families with those 

 of the Conirostres, already stated to consist of the crows 

 (Corvidce), the starlings (Sturnidce), the finches 

 {Fringillidce), the plantain, or fruit-eaters (Musopha- 

 gida), and the hornbills (Buceridce). 



Families of Families of 



Dentirostres. Analogies. Conirostres. 



Laniad.e. Rapacious, feeding upon living animals. Corvida. 



Merulid*. {^ktngP 1 ^ b ° th f ° r Per ° hing ^Sturmd*. 



c«r „r . ^ ^ f These contain the smallest birds in their ] 



Sylviad/e. I respective groups. j Fringillidj*. 



AMPELID*. { HhU! 111081 entirdy UP ° n frUUS ' ^ ] MUSOPHAGID*. 

 MUSCICAPID*.[ B ^ t0eS P artl >'}BuCERID^. 



