84 
HISTORY OF THE PARROTS. 
such farther observations as may be required upon 
the subfamilies and genera as they occur. 
We shall commence with the subfamily of the 
Macrocercince or Maccaws, which, in its own fa- 
mily, is analogous to the dentirostral tribe of the In- 
sessores, and represents the subtypical group of the 
Psittacidee. By Mr Vigors, in the view he has taken 
of the distribution of the Parrots, this subfamily is 
restricted to the Maccatos properly so called, a group 
arranging itself under one, or at most, two generic 
types, the other American long-tailed Parrots, as well 
as those belonging to the ancient world, being all 
included in another division to which he gave the 
name of Palceornina. To this distribution there are 
strong and manifold objections, uniting as it does 
in one great group, birds differing essentially in 
structure as well as habit, such as the Lories and 
other nectivorous Parrots, and those various ge- 
nera which compose the Platycercine subfamily, 
which depart so far from the true scansorial spe- 
cies in their character and general habits. It is 
on this account, and as being more in accordance 
with the natural affinities of the race, that we have 
adopted the suggestions of Mr Swainson, in regard 
to the primary divisions of this family, though we 
must add, that much additional information is re- 
quired to tt'ork out the details, and that there are 
many species whose exact station remains doubtful, 
and which further analysis and observation can alone 
