126 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OP BIRDS. 
we now substitute that of Dr. Smith’s. This group seems 
to lead to the typical genus Pyrrhula, of which our 
common bulfinch is a good example. We do not now 
consider the American species, or the genus Corythus of 
Cuvier, in any other light than as aberrant examples of 
this typical form ; the latter bird obviously leading to the 
genus Paitlarostm, of which only one example, found in 
the Pacific Islands, is yet known. Crithugra is rather a 
numerous genus, nearly all the species being green above 
and yellow beneath, confined to the Old World ; wliile 
the crossbills, constituting the restricted genus Ia>ccw, 
seem more allied to this group than to any other among 
the FringilUcUs. 
(139.) The Musopiiagid^e, or plantain.eaters, ac- 
cording to our arrangement, constitute the fifth great 
division of the conirostral tribe of perchers. We de- 
nominate the group after the most conpicuous genus 
which it contains, although it is by no means clear that 
is the real type of the whole family. As intermediate 
between the finches and the horn bills (the first being the 
smallest, and thff second the largest birds of this tribe) : 
we consequently find a similar disparity in the bulk of 
the diiferent birds which enter into this family. Those 
which betray their affinity to the bulfinches are small ; 
while others, whose size and peculiar structure assimi- 
late them more to the hornbills, are of a size propor- 
tionate to those birds. W'ith the exception but of one 
genus, they all possess a short, but very strong and thick 
bill, more or less curved on the top ; the cutting margins 
being minutely serrated, like the teeth of a saw : by this 
structure the Chilian Phytotoma, as we are informed by 
MoUini, “ cuts off’ the plants upon which it feeds, close 
to the ground, as if it had been done with asaw now, 
as this serrated bill is characteristic of nearly the whole 
family, it seems to imply an economy altogether peculiar 
to this group. The food of this remarkable division of 
birds seems to be purely vegetable, and of the most 
tender and delicate description : the violet plantain-eater 
(MvAophagd) is stated by M. Isert, its first discoverer. 
