40 Mr. Strickland on Gray's Genera of Birds. 



P. 77. The generic name Catarrhactes, Briss., should be used in- 

 stead of Eudyptes, Vieill., and the specific name demersus, Lin., in- 

 stead of chrysocome, Forst. This genus Catarrhactes of Brisson is 

 prior in date to Brunnich's genus, which he called Catarrhacta 

 (^Lestris, 111. restr.). 



The genus Mergulus was first defined by Vieillot, 1816. 



An h should be inserted after the r in Synthliboramphus and Pty- 

 choramphus. 



P. 78. Wagellus, " Ray," is now first introduced as a genus by 

 Mr. Gray, and therefore should not supersede Fulmarus, Leach. 



The name Catarrhacta, Brunn., being too near Catarrhactes, Briss., 

 should give way to Lestris, 111. 



P. 79. Chroicocephalus should be written Chrcecocephalus . 



The name Gygis alba (Sparr.) is prior in date of publication to G. 

 Candida (Forst.). 



The true type of Viralva, Leach, as exhibited by Stephens, is the 

 Black Tern (Sterna nigra, Lin.). Therefore Boie's name Gelocheli- 

 don should be retained for the genus which contains Sterna an- 

 glica, Mont., and the name Viralva (first published in 1825) sinks 

 into a synonyme oi Hydrochelidon, Boie, 1822, which is typified by 

 S. nigra, Lin. Also note that Anous, Leach, is synonymous with 

 Megalopterus, Boi^, and not with Hydrochelidon, Boi^, and that 

 Anous niger. Leach, is synonymous, not with Sterna nigra, Lin., but 

 with Megalopterus stolidus (Lin.), Boi^. 



The genera Thalasseus, Boi6, Gygis, Wagl., Sternula, Boie, and 

 Hydrochelidon, Boie, appear not to possess structural characters suf- 

 ficient to entitle them to generic separation from Sterna. 



P. 80. The genera Sula and Fregata were first raised to that rank 

 by Lacep^de in 1799. 



In concluding this Commentary an apology is due for the length 

 to which it has extended, but I felt it impossible to do justice to Mr. 

 Gray's book without going into considerable detail. I should be 

 sorry if any person should be led by the number of these criticisms 

 to form an unfavourable idea of the general accuracy of the work. 

 A large proportion of the above remarks rest on questions of opinion, 

 in which Mr. Gray is perhaps as likely to be right as I am ; and 

 even where I have detected errors, they are only such as are un- 

 avoidable in the first edition of a work in which so much labour and 

 research is compressed into so small a compass. I conclude there- 

 fore with most heartily recommending the * Genera of Birds' to the 

 favourable notice of zoologists. 



PosTCRiPT. — 1 beg to add one or two remarks which have oc- 

 curred to me since this Commentary went to press. 



Page 1 of Mr. Gray's book. In my remarks on the Vulturince I 

 had not noticed that Temminck has proved the jEgypius of Savigny 

 to be only the young of the Vultur auricularis, Daud. (See Tem. 

 Man. Orn. part iv. p. 586.) Therefore the generic name uEgypius 

 should be given to the group containing V. auricularis and pondice- 

 rianus. 



P. 4. Asturina cinerea, Vieill., is said by Cuvier to be the same as 

 Falco nitidus, Tem., PI. Col. 87. If this be the case, Asturina might 



