TODUS. 
153 
rynchus, or flat-billed todies ; 3. Todus, or the 
typical todies ; 4. Lepturus, or tyrant todies ; and, 
5. Platystera, or African todies. The first, fourth, 
and fifth of these sub-genera form the aberrant 
group ; the second we regard as the sub-typical ; 
and the third as strictly typical of the whole circle. 
W e commence with the sub-genus 
CONOPOPHAGA, 
because it evidently connects Todus with Megalo- 
phus ; while a glance at its broad, although gradually 
narrowing bill, shows it to be of an intermediate 
structure between PlatyrhyncJius and Megalophus. 
The birds belonging to this group, although the 
largest in size of all the todies, are not bigger than a 
robin, yet, from the excessive shortness of their tails, 
they seem to be much smaller ; the tail, in fact, on 
a superficial glance, would seem as if it had been 
cut off, for it scarcely projects more than half an 
inch beyond the long and lax feathers which cover 
the back and rump. The wings, however, although 
much rounded, are by no- means proportionably 
short; while the legs and toes are remarkably large, 
but somewhat slender. We might, from this struc- 
ture, infer, that these were purely terrestrial birds ; 
but we are not inclined implicitly to adopt this 
belief. The daws are very broad and fully curved, 
the lateral toes unequal, and the outer connected to 
