2 LIEUT.-COLONEL SYKES ON THE 
stantive, and required to be put forth with certain explanations, or exceptions, or limi- 
tations. They might be quite true (indeed for the most part were so) with respect to 
the typical species, and possibly to a few others of the genus; but were not so to the 
remaining species, whose deviations in the form of the bill, wing, &c., might not only 
be appreciable, but be so marked as to justify, in the eyes of rigid systematists, their 
removal into distinct genera: but which removal, nevertheless, the habits and natural 
affinities of the birds would not authorize. Some of the Quails I am about to describe 
afford a conclusive instance of this difficulty : and other instances will appear in the 
following preliminary observations which I deem it necessary to make in justification 
of the arrangement I have adopted. 
If it be asked, what characters justify the union of animals into genera, and what 
characters should separate them? I reply, that the question necessarily embraces so 
wide a field of inquiry, that it cannot come within the contemplated limits of this paper: 
but, for the sake of illustration, I shall offer a few comments, which, if they do no more, 
will at least show that exceptions have some weight; and these I shall take chiefly from 
the Tetraonide. 
If the form alone of the bill is to unite birds, then would some species of Francolins, 
Partridges, and Quails afford one common type, while other species of these genera 
would be widely separated. The birds I designate as Coturniv Argoondah and Cot. 
Pentah would belong to a different genus from Cot. dactylisonans and Cot. textilis, and 
Cot. erythrorhyncha would stand alone. On this character, Pterocles would probably 
be removed from the family of Tetraonide, to an intermediate station between it and 
Columbide. If the form, and number, and size of the toes and nails be our guides, then 
would Hemipodius and Cryptonyx have the most appreciable characters in Tetraonide : 
but these might suggest the removal of the former into the family Struthionide and genus 
Otis; and, indeed, the similarity of the tongue and ceca, and the habits of the Hemipodu 
and Bustards would partly authorize the change. But so little does the presence or 
absence of a hind toe influence form, habits, organization, and affinities as a general rule, 
that I found it absolutely necessary to class Charadrius bilobus and Vanellus Goensis in 
the genus Vanellus, the former having four toes, the latter only three. There is also 
no natural affinity between the Bustards and some of the smaller Plovers, particularly 
Charadrius Philippensis, both with three toes ; yet there is a very close affinity between 
the latter and the Sandpiper (Totanus) a four-toed bird. 
Brisson made the combined characters of bill and feet his elements of classification. 
He says, ‘‘ Les pattes et les becs sont les parties que j’ai choisies pour établir les carac- 
téres. Le nombre des doigts, &c.” He has twenty-six orders, and his characters, 
for the most part, produce natural associations: but there are some genera in juxta- 
position that have little or no natural affinity, such as Jacana and Rallus ; Ciconia and 
Tringa. Vanellus is removed from the Plovers ; Otis and Himantopus are associated ; and 
the system would place Hemipodius near Ostralega: it approximates Parus and Alauda; 
