80 



TURDUS. THRUSH. 



from the spotted Thrushes, giving the former the name of 

 3ferida, the latter that of Turdus, and distinguishing these 

 groups moreover by differences in the length of the tail, and 

 others of an equally unsatisfactory nature. Others, placing 

 both groups in one genus, have chosen to designate it by the 

 name of Merula^ in preference to that of Tiirdus^ alleging that 

 the former name was first employed by Ray. The latter, how- 

 ever, I retain, it being that used by Linnaeus, who was the 

 first naturalist who had any rational idea of generic and spe- 

 cific names. As to Ray, his notions were so vague that he 

 often employed several names for what he seems to have con- 

 ceived to be the same genus, as did Brisson, and all others, 

 until a better method was invented by LinnjBus, whose genua 

 Turdus may with propriety be retained, after separating from 

 it the species that belong to other groups. 



^# 



Fig. 125. Young Feaiale Blackbird. 



