EXTERNAI. ANATOMY. — FEET OF MUSOPHAGA. l.Ol 
sition, that it can occasionally walk tolerably well, and 
hop with facility from branch to branch ; both these 
motions, however, are completely denied to the king- 
fishers and the bee-eaters, a conclusion that may be 
arrived at even by an inspection of their feet. Never- 
theless, as the liaceridni are the Fissirostral family ol the 
ConiroHm, they repremtf, by analogy, the kingfishers, 
and the Natatorial order, the leading character of this 
type being to have the feet short, and imperfectly de- 
veloped. , ^ . . 
('ISO') The feet of iheMusophagidm or plantain-eaters, 
^ ' must not be passed over, 
seeing that no author has cor-. 
rectly described their struc- 
ture, which is very peculiar. 
(^•^. 81 .) Isert, the original 
discoverer and describer of 
tlie magnificent Musophagu 
violftceH) says that its toes are 
three before, and one be- 
hind ; others maintain that 
its feet are like those of a 
cuckow, and even very re- 
cently it has been asserted 
that all the toes are un- 
equal *, like those of the va- 
riegated species, and of the 
genus Corythaix. A beau- 
tiful skin of Musophaga 
violacea, is now before us, 
with the feet relaxed, so 
that the parts have all the 
pliability of life. The middle toe (a) is much lengthened, 
and the hinder (b) is the shortest, but the two lateral are 
perfectly even, and there can be no doubt that their or- 
* Species Avium. ** Vigiti omnes T^finie^^attempt 
Phimus ! the latler.the Musophaga of .ill other “"'‘■•'“'"S'® ‘‘v systems, and 
of this author to strike outtim name of Jtd pedantic. 
ivn coinage, will be as futile as itis siiij e 
substitute one of his own coinage, 
L 4 
