28 
SECOND BOOK. 
They, like the birds of prey, have three toes in 
front and one behind. Amongst them we have the 
warblers ; the solitaire, whose solemn music reminds 
us of the notes of a psalm-tune; the jays, the 
jabbering crows, and the pretty banana-bird, with 
its famous whistling powers and its liking for ripe 
bananas, oranges, or sour-sops; the golden -breasted 
cashew-bird, the quits, and the finches.” 
4. Pointing to a case of lovely humming-birds, 
Mr. Johnson added : “ In the same order we place 
those ‘ gems of the feathered race’ which hover over 
the flowers, or flit from twig to twig in search of 
threads or spiders’-webs for their dainty little nests. 
These different kinds of birds, which I have named 
because you see them here, give some idea of the 
great variety in the orders of Perchers. 
5. “Now look at this case of parrots and parroquets. 
They represent to me a third order — the Climbing 
Birds — which, with two toes turned forward and 
two behind, are well able to creep along the stems 
of trees in search of insect food. In the same order 
we place the may-bird, the woodpecker, and the 
familiar savannah-bird.” 
6. The children’s attention was next drawn to a 
guinea-fowl. “ This bird may serve us as an ex- 
ample of the Scratching Birds, to which order the 
quail and the common fowl also belong,” said 
Mr. Johnson. “ These mostly have strong, short 
legs, with three toes in front and a short one 
