﻿DENTIROSTRES AND TENXJIROSTRES. 355 



supposed, that the typical families will bear a much 

 fainter analogy to each other, than what will be found 

 between the aberrant groups. Thus, upon looking to a 

 shrike and a humming-bird, we can only be surprised 

 that there actually is that agreement in the bill which 

 we have just noticed. There is also, towards the end 

 of the upper mandible of a humming-bird's bill, a 

 peculiarity which shows us the very first development 

 of a tooth : the sides are suddenly turned inward, and 

 thus a slight angle is formed exactly at that part of the 

 margin where the real toothed process of the shrike 

 appears (fig. 1. a). This structure is not seen in the 

 CinnyridcB, the types of which, moreover, have the 

 gonys, or under edge of the lower mandible, either 

 straight or bent downwards, like the generality of birds, 

 but never upwards, as in shrikes and humming-birds. 

 The resemblance, also, in point of colour, between the 

 lineated ant- thrushes (Pitta), and some of the African 

 sun birds (Cinnyris) holds good in the present instance. 

 It is no less curious than true, that the humming-bird, 

 if we consider its diminutive size, is even more bold 

 and courageous than a shrike : it not only attacks others 

 of its own tribe, with the greatest fierceness, but all 

 small birds w T ho presume to alight upon its favourite 

 feeding tree. This trait in its character we have repeat- 

 edly witnessed. From the very fine and acute structure 

 of its claws, we may naturally suppose they are used in 

 these battles as offensive weapons, since the bill is ob- 

 viously too weak. If this latter fact was ascertained, 

 these two opposite genera would possess a habit un- 

 known to all others of their respective tribes. The 

 similarity between the warblers (Sylviadcz), and the 

 honeysuckers of New Holland (Meliphagidce), is much 

 stronger than would at first be imagined : and we ac- 

 cordingly find that authors have blended them together. 

 To this day we have the worm-eating warblers ( Ver- 

 mivora), confounded with the genus Diceum by M. 

 Cuvier, and several of the true warblers, put on so 

 much the appearance of tenuirostral birds, that even a 



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