62 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Retrospective Criticism, 



Observations on Classification^ in reference to the Essays of 

 Messrs. Jenyns (VI. 385.), Newman (48L), and Blyth (485.). 

 — Sir, The two great defects of modern systems appear to be, 

 the want of simplicity and of uniformity ; and I cannot but 

 think that both these may be in great measure attained, with- 

 out any violence being offered to the " natural system." 



Mr, Jenyns (VI. 385 — 390.) appears to have blended 

 together two distinct causes of complaint : first, that in 

 modern systems genera are founded upon characters of un- 

 equal value (<?.^. Emberiza and Plectrophanes) ; and, se- 

 condly, that several genera are placed in the same family, 

 certain of which are more nearly allied to each other than 

 they are to the remaining ones {e. g. Jetrao, iagopus, Per- 

 dix, Coturnix). In making the first complaint, Mr. Jenyns 

 seems to have overlooked the fact, that, when a systematist 

 separates a new genus from an old one, he must necessarily 

 restrict the characters of the old genus, as well as establish 

 those of the new ; or else the species in question might be 

 referred as correctly to one genus as the other. Linnaeus 

 founded the genus Emberiza on a peculiar form of the bill. 

 He is silent concerning the other characters of the bird. 

 Now, if we define the genus Plectrophanes to possess that 

 peculiar bill and a long hind-claw, it is plain that we must add 

 .to our definition of Emberiza the character of having a short 

 hind-claw. When this is done, the two genera become of 

 equal value, be the number of species in each what it may, 

 since they are founded on characters of equal importance, and 

 they are therefore no longer liable to Mr. Jenyns's objection. 

 Whether the characters of these groups are of sufficient value 

 to constitute genera, is another question ; and I fully agree 

 with Mr. Jenyns in deprecating the practice of multiplying 

 genera ad infinitum upon the most trivial and unimportant 

 characters. 



Let us now turn to Mr. Jenyns's second cause of complaint. 

 The genera Tetrao and Perdix, if restricted as shown above, 

 may be rendered of the same value as their offsets Zagopus 

 and C6turnix ; but still Zagopus will be more nearly related 



