SKETCHES OF EUROPEAN ORNITHOLOGY. 28t 



from which such animal has been separated ? And is not the Grey 

 Phalarope a lobe-footed bird ; and has it not^ on that very account^ 

 received, from Fleming, the specific designation, lohatus ? Differ- 

 ences in the figure of the bill are the pretext advanced, by Cuvier, 

 as justifying the proposed innovation. Why then not compound, 

 from the Greek or Latin, if a new genus there must needs be, a 

 generic title for it, expressive of such peculiarity ? 



Plate XVII. — The Black Tern, — Sterna nigra^ — Hirondelle- 

 de-Mer epouvantail^Fr., — Schwarzgraue — , Schwarze und Schwarz- 

 kehlige Meerschwalbe, G., — has unluckily fallen into the hands of 

 the reformers, and shared the fate of divers of its predecessors. It 

 is now the Viralva nigra, of Leach, — the black Viralv ! of the Rus- 

 sell of ornithological reform.* We subjoin a sketch of the generic 

 characters of Viralva : Beak shorter than head, subulated, nearly 

 straight, slightly compressed ; tip a little inclined : upper mandible 

 nearly straight. Nostrils oblong, basal. Wings long, tail slightly 

 forked. Feet four-toed, slender : hind toe minute. Claws small. 

 The " almost square" figure of the tail appears, after all, to con- 

 stitute the principal character of this newly-constructedj but crazy 

 and ephemeral, genus. 



Plate XVIIL— The Yellow-headed Wagtail,— Mo/«c27Za Ci- 

 treola, — Bergeronette citrine, Fr., — an indigejie of Western Asia, 

 occasionally visiting the adjacent districts of Europe, exhibits the 

 prolonged hind-toe; and should consequently belong to the new 

 genus, Budytes, The following is the marrow of Gould's specific 

 description of this rare and elegant bird : In size, inferior to M. 

 Jlava and neglecta : distinguished, in its spring- plumage, by the 

 fine citron yellow of the vertex, cheeks, and whole under surface. 

 A crescent-shaped black band across the occiput. Upper plumage 

 dark-ash colour, slightly tinged with grey. Middle and greater 

 wing-coverts edged with white. Middle tail-feathers black : two 

 external ones, on each side, white. The head and inferior parts of 

 the female, according to Gould's figure, are of a dusky greenish- 

 yellow : occiput dusky, and apparently destitute of the black cres- 

 cent. Food and nidification unknown. 



Plate XIX. — the Little Auk, — Mergulus — formerly Alca—^ 

 alle, — UriaallCj of Temminck, — Mergulus melanoleucos, of Ray,— « 

 Guillemot nain, Fr., — Uria minore. It., — der Kleine Alk, G. Two 

 figures illustrative of the summer- and winter-plumage of the bird, 

 delineated with great truth and spirit. 



* See Analyst, vol. iii., p. 211. 



