Australian Birds in the Collection of the Linnean Society. 175 
Indian ocean, or which, according to the varied laws that regu- 
late the geographical distribution of the groups of ornithology, 
are scattered almost indiscriminately over the globe. Beyond 
these few instances, not only every species is new, but almost 
every form is distinct from those which were familiar to Euro- 
peans half a century ago. For such productions consequently 
no generic names or minuter characters are to be found in the 
works of Linnæus. And when we consider the totally new and 
apparently anomalous peculiarities of these productions, it would 
not be altogether unreasonable to suppose that no place could 
be found, even in the greater divisions of his general system, 
where they might be assembled according to their natural affi- 
nities. But this is far from being the case. His mode of in- 
terpreting the general laws of nature was so penetrating, and at 
the same time so comprehensive, that provision is made in his 
primary and leading divisions even for these novelties and 
apparent anomalies. In including them, therefore, within the 
pale of his system, merely by partially modifying and liberally 
interpreting it, —and interpreting it solely according to his own 
instructions,—instead of making the arrangement which includes 
these productions a large and unsightly excrescence of that 
system, or a distinct, nay, a contradictory appendix to it, we 
consider that we not merely do justice to the comprehensiveness 
of his views, but confine ourselves within the strict principles of 
the school which looks up to him as its founder. 
_ We feel much gratification in being able to state, that since 
we commenced our examination of the birds in the Society’s 
collection, we have had the good fortune to obtain some valuable 
information respecting the habits and internal structure of many 
of the species; and we may add, that we have a few important 
facts in natural history to communicate, and several extensive 
and strongly characterized groups to exhibit for the first time 
with 
