John Hogg, Esq., on the Classification of Birds. 51 



ornithologists, — making, at the same time, certain modifica- 

 tions in both, — than to use the latter alone, as Mr Yarrell 

 had done. For, I must confess that it struck me as very 

 anomalous to select Ciwiers Dentirostres, Conirostres, and 

 Fissirostres, and then to reject, without any sufficient reason, 

 the equally natural groups of his Longirostres, Cultrirostres, 

 Lamellirostrcs, &c., as those distinguished authors thought 

 proper to do. Also, I introduced three families, namely, 

 Upupidae, Rccurvirostridae, and Procellariadae, from the 

 *' New Systematic Arrangement of Vertebrated Animals,'' by 

 C. L. Bonapa) te (the Prince of Musignano^ now of Canino), 

 published in the Transactions of the Linnean Society, 

 vol. xviii., 1840. 



There are likewise several new tribes that I myself charac- 

 terised from variations in the structure or form of the hill, 

 and so tending to complete, in the steps of Linnwus, a Ros- 

 tral classification. And it seemed to me quite clear, that not 

 only such was the view of the illustrious Swede, as a refer- 

 ence to the " Systema Naturae" will shew ; but, also, that the 

 bill generally presents the most obvious and natural charac- 

 ters for the chief arrangement of birds. Thus, in continu- 

 ance of this plan, and in its extension to the genera of the 

 birds which have been discovered in Europe, I have uni- 

 formly taken the characters of all the tribes from those of the 

 tdll ; whilst those of i\\Qfeet and toes present the distinctions 

 of the subclasses, of the orders, and likewise of many of the 

 sub tribes. Further and more careful examinations of cer- 

 tain birds have induced me to make some alterations in my 

 classification, as published in the beforementioned report of 

 the British Association, and my " Catalogue of Birds, ob- 

 served in South-Eastern Durham, and in North-Western 

 Cleveland ; with an a})pendix, containing the classification 

 and nomenclature of all the species included therein." Lon- 

 don, 1845. 



Moreover, I have omitted to give the subfamilies, because 

 I am at present inclined to consider them as superfluous, and 

 as unnecessarily lengthening the classification ; but those 

 ornithologists who differ from me, can readily insert them 

 in their proper places. I have paid some attention to the 



