BRITISH BIRDS 
ORDER II. A 
PICiE — PIES. 
The characters of this order are : 
Bill, sharp-edged, convex above. 
Legs, short, strong. 
Feet, formed for walking, perching, or 
climbing. 
Body, toughish, impure. 
Food, various filthy substance^. 
Nest, in trees; the male feeds the fe- 
male while she is sitting. 
They live in pairs. 
This order may be said to form that 
link which connects the rapacious with 
the gallinaceous or poultry tribes. It com- 
prehends a numerous and irregular class 
of birds, widely differing from each other 
in their habits, appetites, and manners, as 
B 
