254 U. S. P. R. R. EXP, AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



be employed on account of prior use in conchology by Humphreys. In any event, as used 

 first for what was subsequently called Parula by Bonaparte, it cannot refer to this section. 



Gray, in liis "Genera," throws all the American warblers under i)/mo<i7to. This, however, 

 belongs to a more restricted group with features very distinct from those of the great majority 

 of thespecies. 



The only selection to be made is between RMmamphus "Rafinesque" of Hartlaub, 1845, 

 and Dendroica of Gray. Eafinesque, in Jour, de Physique, makes several generic names 

 for North American birds, two of which, Helmitheros and Symphemia, as referred to species of 

 Wilson, are readily identified. It is quite otherwise with Rhimamplms, which has nothing 

 whatever to do with any known warbler, as may easily be seen by the reference to his article. 



The description of RMmamphus, however, was published in the American Monthly Magazine 

 prior to its appearance in Journal de Physique,^ and in somewhat more detail, and an exami- 

 nation of the diagnosis^ will f^ufficiently show that it not only has no relation to the common 

 D. aestiva, but that the entire paragraph is a pure fabrication, and the Rimamphus citrinus an 

 entirely imaginary bird. Whatever may be the case elsewhere, North America certainly con- 

 tains no bird five inches long, with the upper mandible curved, not notched, and the lower 

 straight, leaving an opening between them ! Neither does the D. aestiva have five raised feathers 

 on the bend of the wing, with a tail one and a half inches long and a flesh colored bill. The 

 same article describes one rattlesnake with blue tail, another green above, white beneath ; not 

 to mention, in other places, a swallow with scarlet head, black and white striped lemmings, 

 and, other wonderful animals, all from Kentucky I ! 



It only remains, therefore, to use the name given by Gray. 



In the examination of a full series of American Sylvicolinde, it will be found almost impossible 

 to divide them into well defined groups, based on peculiarities of structure. The precise extent 

 and character of the groups will vary with the point in external anatomy selected as the basis 

 of classification. Thus, we find bills approaching to those of the flycatchers associated with the 

 long pointed sylvicoline wings ; short wings with sylvicoline bills ; legs sometimes long, 

 sometimes short, other features remaining the same, &c., &c. In some species the rictal 

 bristles are distinct, in others they are scarcely appreciable. 



In order to facilitate the determination of the species, I have arranged them in sections, 

 based chiefly on color, with which the other characters range to some extent. There is no very 

 striking difference in form among the first fifteen species ; D. castanea and icterocephala alone 

 having much depressed bills, well provided with bristles as in Myiodiovtes mitratus, differing, 

 however, in the shorter tarsi, more even tail, longer wings, and different ground color ; D. 

 striata, on the other hand, has a narrow bill, and almost no bristles at all ; the legs and wings 

 long. The D. kirilandii and pahnarum agree in having short wings, scarcely longer than the 

 tail, (.20 of an inch.) The bills, however, are very different, that of the former, being rather 



' Journal de Physique, LXXXVIII, 1819, 418. Prodrome de 70 Nouveaux Genres d'Animaux decouverts dans I'interieur 

 des Etats-Unis d'Ameriquo, duranl I'annce 1818. Par C. S. Rafinesque. 



^ American Monthly Magazine, IV, Nov. 1818, 39. Further account of discoveries in Natural History in the western States, 

 by C. S. Rafinesque. 



N. G. Rimamphus, a bird. Natural family of Leptoramphous. Bill subulate, mandibles convex, leaving an opening between 

 them; the lower one straight, the upper one longer, curved, and not notched, nostrils naked, Rimamphus citrinus, (Citron 

 Open-bill.) General color of a citron yellow, back rather olivaceous, five brown and raised feathers on the bend of the wings, 

 quills tipped with brown, bill and feet flesh colored. A beautiful little bird, about five inches long; the tail, which is truncate, 

 is one inch and a half; the wings are short. It is a native of the south and was ehot near the falls of Ohio, in Indiana, in the 

 month of July; very scarce. It lives on insects, and darts on them from the trees. It does not sinjr. 



