uitow N I'll A I. A lioi'i:. 18, 



roturnoil. Ilowovor, liiiviii;; lia,<l llm f^ooti I'drlmH", sinci" |)iililisliiii}^ tho 

 first I'llitioii, of cxainiiiiiit; a (iiin rccciil spciMiiion ol" this rani liir<l, 1 

 liopo I shall 1)0 imuiIiIimI Id lix the sin'cics liy such charncli'i-s, as will 

 prevoiit aiiv <u'nilhol(i;;isI in riiliii-c iVdiii I'oiiloumliii^ il willi the Bpooiea 

 which fiiUows ; two birds which, owiiif; to a waiit of iirccisioii, w'oro in- 

 viilvcil ill iiiiimst. iiicxiricahic coiii'iisioii, iiiilii 'Pciiiiiiiiick a|i|ilicii liiiiisolf 

 t(i (lie task of (lisi'iuhroiliiiij; llu'iii ; ami this iiij^oiiioiis iialiiralist liiiH 

 riiliy pnivcil thai the seven species of aiilliors eoiisliliilccl, in ell'ecl, only 

 I wo species. 



'reiiiniinck's distinctive elianicters ar(> drawn IVniii llicliili; and In- 

 has divided the ijeinis into two seelions, an aiTiinf;ciiieiil. the utility of 

 which is not e\ideiit, si>eiiij; that each section contains hiil one s|)ecion; 

 unless wi' ninv consider llial liie Kaired IMialaropc ol' I .alhain consti- 

 tutes a liiird : a point not yel ascertained, ami not easy lo lie settled, 

 for the want of eharaeters. 



Ill my examination of these birds, I have paid particular allcnlion to 

 the feel, which possess characters eiinally slrikini^ with those of the bill : 

 hence a union of all these will alVord a facilily to the student, of wliicll 

 he will lie I'lilly sensible, when he niakes lliciii I lie subject of his invcHli- 

 {^ation. 



Our lijjiire of this spooies betrays all tho nuirks of haste; il is inaccu- 

 rately drawn, and imperfectly colored ; nolwilhslaiidiiifi, by a dilif^ont 

 study of il, 1 ha\e lieen cniibled to ascertain, thai il is the Coot-footod 

 'PriiiL^a of Kdwards, pi. Mi, and 14;i, to wliicli bird liinnieus j.;avo tho 

 speeilie donoiiiination id" lol>at<i, as will be seen in the synonyines at tho 

 liea'd ol'lhis article. In the Iwell'lh edition of the Systonia Natiine, the 

 Swedish iialiiralisi, conceiviiif^ that hi^ niif^hl have been in error, oniilled, 

 in his descriplioii of the iiluttil, the synonyine of Mdwanls's ('oek Ooot- 

 footed Triiij^a, No. llli, and recorded tin' hitler bird iimlcr llie nnmo of 

 lii/jirrlxinii, a specific appellation which 'I'eiiiniinck, and other ornitholo- 

 gists, have sanctioned, but which the laws of niethodical iionienclaturc 

 prohibit us from ailopliiiji;, as, beyond a.ll (|iieslioii, /ij/iirrlidrcd is only ii 

 synonyme ol" lii/i<it<i, which has the priority, and must slaml. 



M. 'rcmmiiick diflers from us in the opininn, thai the '/'. laliiilil of 

 (iincliii, \'cd. 1., p. (!7 I, is llie prcseni spcM'ies, and refers il In lliat which 

 follows. ISiil if this respeclable oriiilliolo;^ist will take the Inuiblc to 

 look into the twidfth edition of Ijinnicus, vol. i., p. 'ill'. No. 8, ho will 

 tlieiH' (inil two false references, Edwards's No. UOH, and Uiisson'H No. 1, 

 which gave rise to Uuielin's confusion of synonyines, and a conse(juciit 

 confusion in his description, as the essential characler in both authors 

 being in nearly the siiiiie words, (roHtro nuliuluto, iifiicr iiijlrwo, ka.) wo 

 arc at no loss lo infer tluit both di'scriptions have reference to tho samo 

 bird; and we are certain lliiil the lo/xitd of the Iwell'lh edilion of tho 



