How to See the British Museum in Four Visits | Page 9

variegated, purple-throated, and rock
manakins. Next to the manakins, are the Indian, African, and American
caterpillar eaters; the Malabar and African shrikes; and in the two last
cases of the tooth-beaked group, are placed the true butcher-birds and
bush shrikes.
The next group of perching birds are the cone-beaked. This group
includes the large family of the Crows to which the birds of paradise of
New Guinea are allied; that of the Finches, with their relations from
every clime; and the Hornbills, remarkable for the size and strength of
their bills. The first two cases (62, 63) devoted to this group, contain
the varieties of the Crow family. Here the visitor should notice the
finely-marked jays from various parts of the world; the noisy and
piping rollers of Australia and New Guinea; the crows, rooks, and
jackdaws from various parts of Europe; the New Zealand wattle bird;
the African changeable crow; and the rufous crow of India. The next
case (64) is bright with the gleaming plumage of the New Guinea
crows, or birds of paradise; and here, too, are the curious grakles--the
foetid and the bare-necked from South America; and the Alpine and
red-legged crows, or choughs, of elevated lands. Next in succession is a
case (65) in which are grouped the shining thrushes of Australia, Asia,
and Africa, which include the ingenious and tasteful satin bower birds,
that form decorated bowers of twigs and shells to sport in; and here
amid the grakles of the Indian Archipelago will be found those curious
birds, that gather their sustenance from insect larvas which secrete in
the coarse skin of the rhinoceros: these birds are known under the name
of African beef-eaters. The Starlings, which are also of the crow family,
are grouped in the case (66) next to that in which the visitor found the
beef-eaters and shining thrushes. They resemble the beef-eaters closely
in their mode of life, like them deriving their food from the insect life
that congregates upon various kinds of cattle. Starlings are found in all
the quarters of the globe, and present many varieties, as the observer of

the case under notice will see. Here are the rose-coloured thrushes of
Europe; the grakles of Malabar, India, South Africa, and South
America; and the stares of America and Europe. The next case contains
the varieties of the American Icteric Orioles, which lay their eggs in the
nests of other birds, like the cuckoo. Among the varieties, the visitor
should notice the red-winged, crested, and banana orioles. The African
and Indian Weavers, so called from the peculiar construction of their
nests, occupy the case (68) next to that filled by the orioles. Here are
also the African, European, and American grosbeaks, so christened
from that strength of bill which enables them to demolish hard fruits.
Among these are the African widow birds; the Galapagos ground
sparrows. The beauty of the Tanagers of North and South America is
well known. In order of succession they here follow the grosbeaks (68,
69), and present a brilliant group, including the golden tanager, the
red-breasted, the summer, and the bishop. And then the Finches, in all
their varieties of colour and size, occupy two cases (69, 70). Here,
among the more sober and unassuming of the numerous family, the
visitor will notice the common sparrow that chirps cheerfully through
the smoke of London alleys; the brown linnet with its lively notes; the
gayer goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, the North American
songfinch, and the many varieties of the buntings, including the
epicure's ortolans that are found in various parts of the world. Next in
order to the finches, the Larks are grouped in a single case (71) with
other varieties of the great finch family. These birds sing as they soar
into the air; and on cloudless days, how often do the happy notes of the
skylark come down to the wanderer upon earth, with a cheerful
influence:--
"... The lark that sings in heaven Builds its nest upon the ground."
Here, with the larks, are several curious birds, including the crossbeaks
of Europe, the grosbeak of the South Sea Islands, the plant cutters of
South America, and the colies of India and the Cape, that sleep in
companies each suspended by one foot. The two last cases of the
cone-beaked perching birds, are devoted to those birds known
collectively as Hornbills, from the size and formation of their bills.
These remarkable birds are said to be another off-shoot of "the great
corvine nest;" and the author of "The Vestiges of Creation" regards the
hollow protuberance upon the upper mandible (which is the

distinguishing feature of the family), as "a sounding-board to increase
the vociferation which these birds delight to utter." The remarkable
varieties in the cases, are the helmet hornbill of India, and the