﻿DENTIROSTRES AND SCANSORES. 



359 



insisted upon, and of which we shall now give addi- 

 tional proofs. In speaking of the various analogies 

 exhibited by the climbing birds (Scansores), we have 

 shown in how many ways they may be represented. 

 The correct series, however, appears to us to be the 

 following : — 



Tribes of Families of ; 



Perch ers. Analogies. Climbers. 



Dentirostres. Bill short, hooked, toothed. PsiTTAciDiE. 



CONIROSTRES. Bill COIliC. PlCIOE. 



SCANSORES. [ En a f ut ° e f the taU featherS naked > hard ' ] CERTHIAD2E. ' ' 



Tenuirostres. { M r Tp!d. Sm ° 0th ' bU1 Slender ' flight ]cucuLiD^. ' 

 Fissirostres. Catch their prey in the air. Ramphastim;. 



That the parrots represent the shrikes, and consequently 

 the Dentirostres, is quite evident ; and both these, it 

 must be remembered, are subtypical groups. The per- 

 fection of the whole order of perchers lies with the 

 Conirostres, — while the perfection of the scansorial 

 structure is unquestionably in the woodpeckers : thus 

 do the Conirostres and the Ficidce agree. The scan- 

 sorial tribe, however, is aberrant, so also are the creepers 

 who, by having different modes of climbing, may be 

 said, in one sense, to be even superior to the wood- 

 peckers. The former can descend a tree with just as 

 much ease as they ascend it ; but the latter seldom 

 climb but in an upward direction^ Rapidity of flight 

 and very soft food are the two most prominent dis- 

 tinctions of the cuckows and the suctorial Tenuirostres; 

 while the very singular custom remarked in the toucans, 

 of throwing their food in the air, and catching it in 

 their mouths before it is swallowed, is the first and 

 most remarkable developement which nature gives of 

 the tribe of Fissirostres, to which these birds unques- 

 tionably lead. Such are our ultimate conclusions on 

 the true analogies of this tribe. 



(298.) On looking, however, to the analogies of the 

 Fissirostres (a group which stands at the opposite point 

 of the circle of Insessores), we find that although its 

 a a 4 



