Page:Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, Volume 12.djvu/601

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a few days since to take up Ray's Wisdom of God in the Works of the Creation, I was particularly struck with the passage where, speaking of the Woodpecker tribe, he says, "Their toes stand two forwards, two backwards; which disposition (as Aldrovandus well notes) Nature, or rather the wisdom of the Creator, hath granted to Woodpeckers, because it is very convenient for the climbing of trees."

The attempt to prove this assertion, adopted by so many and able naturalists, to be altogether unfounded, must appear to savour of presumption in one who has so little of the philosopher about him: nevertheless, I hope to convince you that such disposition of the toes in the Woodpecker tribe was intended by the Author of Nature for a very different, though equally wise purpose. I know of but six genera, viz. Psittacus, Cuculus, Picus, Ramphastos, Trogon, Bucco, that are furnished pedibus scansoriis, i.e. with two toes before and two behind; and of this number I am acquainted with the manners of the three first only.

To begin with Cuculus:—I speak only of our common species: Here is a bird furnished with two toes before and two behind, and yet is actually never known to climb at all; a convincing proof that such conformation does not necessarily bring with it the power Rh