OF BIRDS. 
Vlll 
3. Scansores, or climbers. These birds have two toes 
before and two behind, or rather they have the power of 
throwing one of the fore toes back at pleasure. This con- 
struction gives them such great power of climbing, that they 
can ascend the perpendicular trunk of a tree. The princi- 
pal birds in this order are the parrot family and the wood- 
peckers. 
4. Rasores , or gallinaceous birds. These birds have the 
head small in proportion to the body. The bill is generally 
short, with the other mandible somewhat curved, and fur- 
nished with a cere. The nostrils have usually a protecting 
fleshy membrane. The tarsus, or lower part of the leg, is 
long and bare, and there are four toes, those in front being 
united by a slight membrane, while that behind is generally 
higher up the leg, and smaller than the others. This 
order comprises nearly all the birds used as food, and it 
includes the peacock, the turkey, the common cock and 
hen, the partridge, the pheasant, and the pigeon family. 
5. Gr allator es, or Waders. These birds are characterized 
by their long and slender legs, and generally bare thighs. 
Their feet have generally three toes, more or less united at 
the base by a web, and the central toe is often longer and 
