95 
and resembling it in its habits of life. Cuvier has placed 
the Sheathbill at the end of his fifth order, les Echas- 
siers, or Waders ( Grallce , Linn.); but it appears bet¬ 
ter to place it here, as the general form of its bill and 
feet rather resembles that of the Grous, than of any 
other tribe—whilst the Thinocorus appears like a con¬ 
necting link between the two. In Cases 55 and 56 are 
several species of Pigeons; and in 57, specimens of the 
Menura and Curassow. 
The Wading Birds * generally have long wings, and 
fly well; many of them make periodical migrations, and 
are thus distributed over great part of the globe; they 
usually extend their legs behind them when they fly. 
The Herons have the nostrils linear and covered with 
a thin skin, situated at the base of an indistinct, narrow 
groove (Cases 58 to 60); the bill is hard, the hind toe 
low down, and the middle claw twisted on the edge; as 
in the genera Heron, Night Heron, and Crab-eater, 
which only differ from each other by the size of the 
beak. 
The family of Storks (Case 61) have larger and more 
exposed nostrils than the Herons, the hind toe is placed 
rather higher, and the middle claw entire. The form 
and size of the bill vary greatly in the birds of this 
family. In the Adjutants it is large, and furnished 
with a sort of throat-pouch; in the Wood Ibis it is 
slightly curved, and in the Spoonbill the extremity of 
the beak is flat and rounded. Many of these birds have 
a tuft of very soft feathers on the under side of the 
tail; the Adjutants furnish the celebrated Cornacauly 
feathers. 
The Snipes (Cases 62 and 68) have a long, soft bill, 
and no hind toe, or only a very short one. Some have 
the end of the bill covered with a leathery skin, and 
the nasal grooves extended to the end of the beak, as 
the Ibis and Sandpiper, the former having a long, curved 
bill, the latter a short and straight one; from these 
* See p. 86. 
the 
ROOM XIII. 
Nat. Hist. 
