in the " Diclionnaire de Sciences Naturelles,^^ 107 



either originally instituted or adopted from others, such as Lanius, 

 Turdusy and Motacilltty for example, or Fringilla and Loxia^ 

 originated in this mode of viewing nature. We may trace the 

 same principle through most of the genera which have been still 

 more lately instituted, although it does not appear that the 

 authours of them were aware of the principle which guided 

 them. Totanus^ Limosa, Scolopax, Rhi/nchcea^ Tringa^ with in- 

 termediate groups ; Pastor and Lamprotornis of M. Temminck ; 

 Dendrocolaptes^ Certhia^ and Ortlionyx^ as lately characterized ; — 

 all these, and in fact almost all the allied groups of modern terms, 

 if closely investigated, will be found to exhibit no difference in 

 characters, but merely variations of the same. The genus PlU' 

 tijrhynchus^ the only group Avhich at this moment I remember to 

 have been instituted in ornithology by the naturalist whose name 

 is subscribed to the critique in the '' Dictionnaire^^^ possesses no 

 characters, at least if we may judge of it from the types which 

 M. Temminck has given in his '' Manuel^'''' but what are modi- 

 h cations of those of Musdcapa and Miisdpeta. 



This was one of the leading principles which actuated Dr. 

 Ilorsfield and myself in our subdivisions of the Psittacidce, One 

 of the chief typical characters of the group appeared to us to con- 

 sist in the strength of the bill. Formed for breaking the hardest 

 vegetable substances the typical bill seemed to be indicated, as 

 in the group of Maccaws (Macrocercus, Vieill.,) by iis shortness, 

 height, and solidity. In these birds the height from the mentum 

 to the forehead at least doubles the length from the rictus to the 

 apex j the under mandible, instead of being elongated, as is usual 

 among birds, is bent inwards with a strong emargination ; while 

 a line drawn from the centre of it to the apex^ the head of the 

 bird being in the regular erect position, is nearly vertical. On 

 the other hand the aberrant bill may be pointed out by its decreas- 

 ing strength and greater elongation, as in the group of the Indian 

 Lories. Here the length is not less than the height ; the under 

 mandible is entire ; and a line drawn from the centre of it to the 

 apex^ the position of the head being as before, is nearly horizontal. 

 These modifications of the characters of the bill evidently point 

 out a corresponding modification in the nature of the food of 



