270 SKETCHES OP EUROPEAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



tion from habits neither universally practicable or prevalent, nor 

 peculiar to the bird, should be distinguished by some aptly-con- 

 structed epithet, expressive of this character. Temporo-griseus, al- 

 though not sufficiently precise, is the best which, at present, sug- 

 gests itself to our mind. The absurdity of the ancient term is self- 

 evident. Confine a cock-sparrow, and place him upon what the 

 French physicians, whimsically enough, call dieie — in plain English, 

 put him on short commons — for a couple of days ; and take our 

 word for it, he will devour misseltoe berries as fast as you can pro- 

 cure, or his little stomach convert, them, with any storm-cock in his 

 Majesty's dominions. The Missel-Thrush of Mr. Gould, although 

 boldly and correctly drawn, is not quite so softly and harmoniously 

 coloured as many of the figures displayed in the preceding plates. 



Plate VII. — The Smew, Mergus albellus, — Harle Piette, Fr., 

 — Mergo Oca minore. It., — Weisser Sager, G. The male of this 

 species, the smallest of the genus, is distinguished by its white pen- 

 dant crest. The female, to which the young male, of the first year, 

 exhibits a close resemblance, was once supposed to form a distinct 

 genus, and entitled the Lough Diver, — Mergus minntus. Ana- 

 tomical inspection of the trachea of the young, shewed its identity 

 of structure with that of the adult male, and exposed the fallacy of 

 the opinion previously entertained. In this bird, the windpipe 

 displays a contraction immediately below the glottis ; and then, gra- 

 dually enlarging to the middle of its course, preserves nearly the 

 same diameter to its termination in the lower larynx, which is pro- 

 portionately smaller than in the other species of the Mergus genus, 

 and very differently constructed. The Smew, or White Nun, is a 

 winter- visitant of the southern and eastern coasts of Britain, of the 

 inland rivers and the waters of the fenny districts. The adult male, 

 however, is rarely seen ; and the female has never yet been known 

 to breed, among us. She is said to lay from eight to twelve whitish 

 eggs. Stephens has, without sufficient reason, removed the Smew 

 from the Mergus to a different genus. Mr. Gould's figures, repre- 

 senting both male and female, two thirds of the natural size, are 

 finely executed. 



Plate VIII. — The Wryneck, — Yunx torquilla (Torquilla strL 

 ata, of modem systematists), — Torcol ordinaire, Fr., — Torcicollo, 



