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60 Mr. Swainson on the 



Art. X. A Monograph of the Genus Tachyphonus ; a 

 group of Birds belonging to the Tanagrce of Linnaeus. 

 By William Swainson, Esq., F.R. and L.S., fyc, 



[Communicated by the Author.] 



The new objects in the higher departments of zoology continually 

 coming before us, have, on many occasions, confirmed the justness 

 of those views which have led to the formation of new divisions. 

 Several of the genera, proposed but a few years ago by the conti- 

 nental ornithologists, and which were then supposed to rest on 

 the authority of a solitary example, have since been augmented by 

 a host of others, hitherto unknown to naturalists, or indiscrimi- 

 nately scattered in different genera of the Linnsean system. 



On the other hand, several of these groups, either from not hav- 

 ing attracted particular attention, or from no new examples having 

 been brought to light, remain confined within their original limits. 



M. Vieillot has given the generic name of Tachyphonus to the 

 fifth division of the Linnsean Tanagers, as arranged by that acute 

 ornithologist M. Desmarest, and in which is comprised only two 

 species, the Tanagra nigerrima of Gmelin, and the Tanagra 

 cristata of Linnaeus ; both natives of South America. During 

 my residence in Brazil, I was fortunate in procuring several other 

 species, evidently belonging to this group, and which seem to be 

 hitherto unrecorded. This latter point, however, is doubtful ; for 

 within the last few years the provinces of Brazil have been tra- 

 versed in almost every direction, by many learned and indefatiga- 

 ble naturalists, who are now occupied, under the patronage, and 

 even at the expense of the continental governments, in publish- 

 ing ample and richly illustrated accounts of their extensive dis- 

 coveries in every branch of natural science. Under these circum- 

 stances we must receive all descriptions of the productions of 

 Brazil, so far as their novelty is concerned, with a certain degree 

 of doubt. In the absence of an extensive and public zoological 

 library, few of these costly works are accessible, and the treasures 

 collected in many of them do not appear till after an interval com- 



