33 
Order PASSERES. The Insessorial Bieds. 
The birds of the order Passeres are exceedingly varied 
in the form of their beaks. As Cuvier well remarks^ the 
character of the order seems at first sight to be purely nega- 
tive, containing as it does birds which are neither swimmers, 
waders, climbers, gallinaceous, nor rapacious. 
In some of the families, ^uch as the Butcher-birds, the 
beaks are nearly as much hooked as in the hawks, but the 
talons and cere of these birds are wanting. Many of the 
Passerine birds are insectivorous, others are omnivorous, 
while many live only on seeds and vegetable substances 
when adult, though the parents are careful to find for them 
in their young state such dainty morsels as grubs and in- 
sects in all their stages. PoUowing the arrangement men- 
tioned in the preface, we proceed to give an account of the 
habits of a few species belonging to some of the families. 
The first division of this extensive order is distinguished 
from the others by the wide opening of the mouth, and by 
the short, broad, depressed beak, which is slightly hooked. 
This division, named Fissirostres^ contains the Goatsuckers, 
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