26 



BABILLARD—BALDPA TE 



Crinigeb. (After Swainson.) 



Museum ^ are devoted to this mixed multitude, which is therein 

 made to inckide, beside the groups usually assigned to the 

 Family, others more or less well defined, such as Bower-birds, 

 Mocking-birds, and AVrens, with certain Bulbuls, Shrikes, 

 Thrushes, and Warblers. Some of these, such as the first three, 

 to say nothing of Water -OuSELS, Hedge -Sparrows, and some 

 American forms, are obviously not allied to the rest ; but, after 

 their withdi-awal, there is still a fine field left for a systematic 

 ornithologist who would take in hand what remains of this hetero- 

 geneous assemblage, and introduce even the semblance of order 



where all is at pre- 

 sent confusion. The 

 birds more particu- 

 larly called Babblers, 

 often with a prefix 

 such as Bush-Bab- 

 bler, Shrike-Babbler, 

 Tit-Babbler, and so 

 forth, l^elong chiefly to the Ethiopian and Indian Regions, and many 

 of the last are well treated, under the name of Crateropodidse, by 

 Mr. W. E. Gates {Faun. Brit. India, Birds, i. pp. 70-297), though even 

 he has perhaps been too generous in receiving some forms. Many 

 of these Birds originally described under the genus Criniger of 

 Temminck, but since subdivided as Tricholestes, Xenocichla, and so 

 forth, are remarkable for the long fine bristles that spring from 

 the nape or middle of the back, as shewn in the annexed figure ; 

 but traces of this feature may be seen in many other forms, and 

 even in one so familiar as the common Song-THRUSH. 



BABILLARD, a French name, Anglified in 1831 by Rennie in 

 his edition of Montagu's Ornithological Dictionary (p. 15), for the 

 bird already known as the Lessee Whitethroat ; but one that 

 has fortunately not taken real hold in our language. Had he 

 attempted to revive the old English " Babelard," he probably would 

 not have been more successful. 



BACBAKIRI, one of the short-Avinged Shrikes, the Telephonus 

 bacbakiri of South- African ornithology, and so named of the colonists 

 from its call-note (Layard, B. S. Africa, p. 161). 



BALDPATE, the name commonly given by the English-speak- 

 ing residents of the West Indies to a Dove, the Columha Icuco- 

 cephala, from its white head — though most inaccurately, for that 

 ])art is well clothed with feathers. It may here be observed that 



^ The second of these volumes possesses one great merit : it does not pre- 

 tend to assign an English name to birds which by hardly any conceivable chance 

 will need one. 



