Mr. Swainsoii's Reply to his Reviewers. 495 



<Fun beau noir" not " fuscous, " which is only the plumage 

 of the female Cubla and also of the female gambensis, while 

 the back of the male Cubla is of the very same "beau noir" 

 in my specimen, as that of the male gambensis. As a further 

 point of distinction between the two, (and that upon which 

 Mr. Gray's specific characters are chiefly founded), he remarks 

 that if the longest quill in the Cubla is the fourth, and in gam- 

 bensis the third." My specimens neither exhibit these cha- 

 racters or differences. I find that in both the third quill is 

 ^ in. shorter than the fourth ; in Cubla the fourth, fifth, and 

 sixth quills are perfectly equal, but in gambensis, the fourth 

 is rather longer than the fifth and sixth, the two latter being 

 almost imperceptibly graduated. These variations from Mr. 

 Gray's characters may possibly originate in the different age 

 of the specimens, rather than from error of description, but 

 in either case, it is quite manifest that no specific characters 

 between these birds can be drawn from the relative length of 

 their quill feathers. 



Mr. G. R. Gray proposes to make the Thamnophilus Sabi- 

 ni of his brother, the type of a new sub -genus, and to do the 

 same with the Cubla and gambensis. I have already stated my 

 inability, after fifteen years study of this family, to determine 

 the natural genera; and as I have myself refrained from cha- 

 racterizing those which were artificial, it cannot be supposed 

 that I should adopt these of Mr. Gray's, founded, as it ap- 

 pears to me, on a very imperfect knowledge of the whole 

 group. I consider the Malaconotus Sabini which I examined 

 some years ago, as the most pre-eminent typical species I 

 have yet seen of the genus, while its striking representation 

 to the Conirostres, according to the theory of variation, may 

 be gathered from the confession of Mr. G. R. Gray, who says 

 that "the broad, smooth, and rounded culmen, gives it so 

 great an approximation, (or rather analogy), to the Australian 

 genus, Cracticus, that it may be considered an intermediate 

 link." Malaconotus Cubla and gambensis are equally types 

 of my genus ; and to remove them from it, is to destroy the 

 genus itself. If the group is to be divided, M. Vieillot's sub- 

 genus Laniarius must be adopted, which will separate the 

 bright coloured division from the above, but at present I can 

 discover no tangible characters, by which this can be effected. 



A few words to Mr. Strickland, whose gentlemanly tone of 

 discussion will always insure him attention. Mr. Strick- 

 land observes, p. 203, "I cannot, however, withold the ex- 

 pression of my regret, that Mr. Swainson, after deprecating 

 in 1836 the extension of English names to foreign Ornitho- 

 logv, should, in 1837, have committed this very error, by in- 



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