. A history of British birds, indigenous and migratory: including their organization, habits, and relations; remarks on classification and nomenclature; an account of the principal organs of birds, and observations relative to practical ornithology .. . rous, as the Larks; others es-sentially insectivorous, as the Wheatear and Whinchat. Theparticular propensity of the species in this respect indicates insome measure its affinity to other families; but it is not peculiarto the Cantatores to vary their food, for on none of the familiesof land birds has nature imposed a strictly defined regimen.
. A history of British birds, indigenous and migratory: including their organization, habits, and relations; remarks on classification and nomenclature; an account of the principal organs of birds, and observations relative to practical ornithology .. . rous, as the Larks; others es-sentially insectivorous, as the Wheatear and Whinchat. Theparticular propensity of the species in this respect indicates insome measure its affinity to other families; but it is not peculiarto the Cantatores to vary their food, for on none of the familiesof land birds has nature imposed a strictly defined regimen. 45 MYRMOTHERIN^. ANTCATCHER8 AND ALLIED SPECIES. The Myrmotherinse, which are in some respects intermediatebetween the Corvinse and Turdinoe, are readily distinguishedfrom the former by their wanting the reversed stiff feathers atthe base of the upper mandible, and from the latter by theircomparatively short, concave wings, and especially by the re-markable abbreviation of their tail, which gives them a peculiarappearance. To this family belong the genera Myrmothera ofVieillot, Grallaria., Pitta, Chamwza, Clnclus, and a few none of them however are there any representatives in Bri-tain excepting a single species of that last Fig. m. In their general form they are full and compact; their bodybeing ovate and rather deeper than broad ; their neck somewhatshort, their head oblong, compressed, and generally rather large. 46 MYRMOTHERINiE. The bill is uot essentially different from tliat of the Thrushesand Orioles, being moderately stout, shorter than the head,straight, with the dorsal outline couyexo-declinate, the tip nar-row, the edges direct, and the upper mandible slightly eyes and ears are of moderate size. The feet are ratherlong and stout; the tarsus compressed ; the toes of moderatesize, the first stouter and nearly as long as the second, whichis a little shorter than the fourth, the third much longer, andunited to the fourth at the base ; t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookidhistoryofbritish02macg, booksubjectbirdsg
