24 NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



channel, an obsolete transverse impression, and true punctulate fovea? ori 

 each side at the base, the outer one very obsolete ; elyt. with punctu- 

 late striae ; legs entirely ferruginous ; ant. and palp, with the basal joints 

 testaceous. Length 3— 3§ lin. 

 Rare near Warrington ; " near London, and in Dorsetshire." — Stephens. 



Sp. 9. Amara elegans, Rylands. 

 Sp. Char. — Slightly convex; shining brassy green; thx. with two punctuate 



striae on each side at the base of the dorsal channel, the outer one rarely 



obsolete ; elyt. striated, the striae punctulate ; fern, and tib. rufous ; ant. 



with the three basal joints and base of the fourth rufescent, the rest 



fuscous ; basal joint of the pal. ferruginous. Length 3 — 3§ lin. 



Closely allied to A. l&vis, but is distinguished by the absence of the transverse 



impression on the thorax; the colour of the tarsi, &c. Not uncommon near 



Warrington. 



Sp. 10. Amara cursor, Sturm. 



Syn. — A. cursor, Steph., Mand. 1. p. 130. 



Sp. Char. — Shining bronzed green ; thx. with a slight dorsal line, the base with 



an abbreviated obsolete linear impression on each side near the margin ; 



the rest of the surface impunctate ; elyt. rather strongly punctate, striated, 



ferruginous. Length 3 — 3| lin. 



Rare, near Warrington. " Common in the Metropolitan district." — J. F. 



Stephens, Esq. " Rare, near Bottisham." — Rev. L. Jenyns. 



Bewsey House, Warrington. 



(To be continued.) 



AN EXPLANATION OP THE LATIN NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



To the Editor of the Naturalist. 

 Sib, 



I have often heard regretted the want of some explanation of the 

 Latinized names of the British birds, which are of course unintelligible to persons 

 who have not had a classical education ; the derivations of many of the names 

 being, moreover, so arbitrary as to be doubtful, obscure, or even wholly unknown 

 to the initiated. 



The above will, I hope, appear a sufficient reason for the following attempt at a 

 translation into English of such of the names of the British birds as are of Latin 

 or Greek derivation ; and with the wish that this may be of service and interest 

 to some of your readers, I forward it for insertion in your pages, in case it should 

 *eem to you likely to be of use, and to meet with the approbation of your sub- 



