THE SECOND ORDER.—PICARIAN BIRDS (Picariæ).[231]CHAPTER VII.THE PARROTS.
THE SECOND ORDER.—PICARIAN BIRDS (Picariæ).[231]
Characteristics of the Order—The Sub-orders—ZYGODACTYLÆ—THEPARROTS—Their Talking Powers—Sections of the Family—THEGREATPALMCOCKATOO—THEPYGMYPARROTS—THEAMAZONPARROTS—THEAMAZONS—THEGREYPARROT—Court Favourites—Historical Specimens—In a state of Nature—Mr. Keulemans’ Observations—THECONURES—THEROSE-RINGEDPARRAKEET—Known to the Ancients—Habitat—Habits—THECAROLINACONURE—Destructive Propensities—THEPARRAKEETS—THEOWLPARROT—Chiefly Nocturnal—Incapable of Flight—How this Fact may be accounted for—Dr. Haast’s Account of its Habits—THESTRAIGHT-BILLEDPARROTS—THEBRUSH-TONGUEDPARROTS—THENESTORS—THEKAKAPARROT—Skull of a Parrot—The Bill.
Characteristics of the Order—The Sub-orders—ZYGODACTYLÆ—THEPARROTS—Their Talking Powers—Sections of the Family—THEGREATPALMCOCKATOO—THEPYGMYPARROTS—THEAMAZONPARROTS—THEAMAZONS—THEGREYPARROT—Court Favourites—Historical Specimens—In a state of Nature—Mr. Keulemans’ Observations—THECONURES—THEROSE-RINGEDPARRAKEET—Known to the Ancients—Habitat—Habits—THECAROLINACONURE—Destructive Propensities—THEPARRAKEETS—THEOWLPARROT—Chiefly Nocturnal—Incapable of Flight—How this Fact may be accounted for—Dr. Haast’s Account of its Habits—THESTRAIGHT-BILLEDPARROTS—THEBRUSH-TONGUEDPARROTS—THENESTORS—THEKAKAPARROT—Skull of a Parrot—The Bill.
THEbirds which are contained in this order are of very different forms, but they possess one character which, although an osteological one, is found throughout nearly the whole group, and that is, the double notch in the hinder margin of the sternum or breast bone. In all the truePasseres, or perching birds, only a single notch is observed. The hind toe, which in the true perching birds is an essential character, and is separately movable, possessing its own distinct flexor muscle, is in the Picarians not of so much account, its flexor muscle being joined to the common flexor of all the toes; it is sometimes absent altogether. If the Parrots have certain characters in common with theAccipitres, the Cuckoos and the Plantain-eaters undoubtedly show affinity to the Game-birds, while most of the other families have peculiar structures which render them quite distinct from the ordinary mass of true perching birds or Passeres. It may be remarked that the eggs of most of thePicariæ, so far as we are acquainted with them, are glossy white, and that the majority of them breed in the holes of trees or ofrocks, and that they are as a rule bad nest-builders. The greatest exception to the above description of the nesting of these birds is met with in the family of Goatsuckers (Caprimulgidæ), some of whom lay their eggs on the ground, the eggs being beautifully marbled with streaks and spots.
COCKATOOS.⇒LARGER IMAGE
COCKATOOS.
⇒LARGER IMAGE
Within this great Picarian order there are two large sub-orders, called respectively the Scansorial and the Fissirostral[232]Picariæ. The Scansorial birds are also sometimes known as the Zygodactylæ,[233]or yoke-footed birds, because they have their toes arranged in pairs, two in front and two behind, and their name of Scansores is given to them because most of them are climbing birds, and run up trees and rocks with great facility, though in different ways. Parrots, for instance, use their bills in climbing from branch to branch, while Woodpeckers have very powerful feet and stiffened tail-feathers, which support them as they cling to the bark of the trees, the bill being chiefly employed to prise off the bark in order to get at the insects underneath. Cuckoos do not climb trees in the same manner as the Woodpeckers, though they have true zygodactyle feet: the present writer has, however, seen a common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) cling with both feet to the trunk of a huge elm while it picked off insects from the bark. It must not be supposed, however, that the above are the only birds which climb trees, for among the true Passeres, or perching birds, there occur such birds as theDendrocolaptidæin South America, who have stiffened tails exactly as the Woodpeckers, while the Tree-creepers are just as expert as the last-named birds, and yet cannot be placed in the same order as the Scansorial (Picariæ), for they possess a simple passerine foot, with three toes in front and one behind.
The Fissirostres, or wide-gaping birds, are also called Gressorial Picariæ, as their toes are more or less connected together, which gives them a very flat sole to the foot. They generally hunt for their food from some selected spot, ordinarily a post or a dead bough, whence they take flights after their prey, usually returning to the same spot to devour it. Their flight is active and swift, their gape extremely large, and the head correspondingly big, and in many instances clumsy and ungainly. The feet are generally small and weak.