18 
NATURAL HISTORY, 
[EAST. ZOOL. 
Cases 62—73. The Conirostral Birds. 
These feed chiefly on grain and fruit. They form several families: viz. 
Cases 62, 63. The Crows, which are divided into the follow¬ 
ing divisions: the Phonygamince, w 7 hich inhabit Australia, New Guinea, 
&c., where they pursue small birds, and are very noisy and clamorous; 
as the piping roller, noisy roller of Australia ; the jays, which generally 
live in forests of various parts of the world, as the jay of Europe and 
Great Britain; blue jay and cinereous jay of North America, &c. The 
true Crows, which are inhabitants of various parts of the world, and are 
generally seen on the ground, searching for carrion, worms, &c., as the 
raven, carrion crow, rook, hooded crow, and jackdaw of Europe and 
Great Britain, &c. 
Case 63. The Callceatince are inhabitants of Africa, Asia, and 
Australia; as the changeable crow of Africa, rufous crow of India, 
cinereous wattle bird of New Zealand, &c. 
Case 64. The Gymnoderince are very singular birds of South. 
America; they feed on fruits; as the bare-necked grakle, fetid grakle, 
&c. The Choughs are found in the elevated mountains of the Old 
World, and prey on insects and berries; as the red-legged crow and 
Alpine crow. These are occasionally found in Great Britain, &c. The 
Birds of Paradise are natives of New Guinea; their habits are perfectly 
those of the crow, as the greater paradise bird, king paradise bird, 
magnificent paradise bird, &c. 
Case 65. The Shining Thrushes are found in Africa, Asia, and Aus¬ 
tralia, and they feed on fruits and insects; as the satin bow r er bird: 
these birds form artificial arbours of twigs, which they decorate with 
shells, bones, stones, and other articles, and through which they run in 
playful chase after each other; also the splendid thrush, brilliant thrush, 
&c., of Africa and India. The Grakles live in troops in the islands of 
the Indian Archipelago, searching for insects and fruits among the 
banana; as the minor grakle and bald grakle. The beef-eaters are in¬ 
habitants of Africa, where they live on the larvae of a parasitical insect 
which they compress out of the skin of the rhinoceros by means of their 
bill; as the African beef-eater. 
Case 66. The Starlings are found in both hemispheres, and they 
feed on the larvae which attack cattle; they fly in large and crowded 
flocks; as the rose-coloured thrush of Europe, occasionally found 
in Great Britain ; and Malabar grakle, pagoda grakle of India, &c.; 
cockscomb grakle of South Africa; common stare of Europe and 
Great Britain; Sardinian stare of Europe, &c., and the Louisiana 
stare of North America, &c. The Quiscalince inhabit New Guinea, 
but especially North and South America; as the gorget paradise 
bird of New Guinea, purple grakle and boat-tailed grakle of South 
America, &c. 
Case 67. The Icteric Orioles are also peculiar to America, and 
live in flocks, feeding on grain and insects; as the black and yellow 
oriole, crested oriole, icteric oriole, and banana oriole, &c. The Age - 
laince, like the preceding series, are also found in North and South Ame¬ 
rica, generally in flocks among the cattle. Some of the species have 
a peculiar habit of laying their eggs in other birds’ nests, as the cowpen 
oriole, red-winged oriole, &c. 
