124 



MACLEAY SYSTEM OF 



wings designed to scarcely raise them off the earth ; and, 

 farther, by a general domesticity of character and useful- 

 ness to man. 



Now, the most remarkable circumstance, is, that these 

 organic characters, habits, and moral properties, were 

 found to be traceable more or less distinctly in the corre* 

 sponding portions of every other group, even of those be- 

 longing to distant subdivisions of the animal kingdom, as, 

 for instance, the insects. The incessores (typical order of 

 aves) being reduced to its constituent circles or tribes, it 

 was found that these strictly represented the five orders. 

 In the conirostres are the perfections which belong to the 

 incessores as an order, with the conspicuous external fea- 

 ture of a comparatively small notch in their bills ; in the 

 dentirostres, the notch is strong and toothlike, (hence the 

 name of the tribe,) assimilating them to the raptores ; the 

 fissirostres come into analogy with the natatores in the 

 slight development of their feet and their great powers 01 

 flight ; the tenuirostres have the small mouths and long 

 soft bills of the grallatores. Finally, the scansores resem 

 ble the rasores in their superior intelligence and docility, 

 and in their having strong limbs and a bill entire at the tip. 

 This parity of qualities becomes clearer when placed iix 

 a tabular form : — 



Orders of Birds Characters. Tribes of Incessorts 



«■ S Most perfect of their circle : r p. - 



Incessores - -| 110t & f bill small - - \ Conirostres. 



Raptores - - Notch of bill like a tooth - Dentirostres. 



Natatores - j *jg«J '1 . j Fibres. 



Grallatores - Small mouths ; long soft bills Tenuirostres. 



Some comprehensive terms are much wanted tc des- 

 cribe these five characters, so curiously repeated through' 

 out the whole of the animal, and probably also the vegeta- 

 ble kingdom. Meanwhile, Mr. Swainson calls them ty. 

 pical, sub-typical, natatorial, suctorial,* and rasorial. 

 Some of his illustrations of the principle are exceedingly 



* This is preferred to grallatorial, as more comprehensively de« 

 ecriptire. There is the same need for a substitute for tr> j>rial« 

 which is only applicable to birds. 



