TECHNICAL NAMES. 33 



"these birds by their simple names of the raven, the corby, the 

 hoody, the rook, and the jackdaw ; and as these five crows con- 

 stitute the genus Corvus in the Corcince, so, for instance, the 

 magpie, which is closely allied to the crow, forms another genus, 

 called Pica, in the family of Corvidce. The jay represents 

 another, called Garrulus ; and the chough another, Fregilus. 

 Now, although these three last form each a genus by themselves, 

 as the five crows united also form one, it is not because there are 

 not more species of each genus in the world, but these are all 

 that represent each genus in Britain (and it is the British, or 

 Tather the Fifeshire birds, I am chiefly treating upon). Thus it 

 will be seen that these four groups (or genera) — Corvus, Pica, 

 Garrulus, Fregilus, comprise the Corvidai. There are other 

 species or genera affined to these, but not so closely as to come 

 within the scope of this particular sub-family; but, being 

 grouped together in other genera, these joined form what is 

 called a family, on the very same principle that several species — 

 closely allied — form a genus, and allied groups or genera joined 

 form the family. An order, again, comprehends a still wider 

 group of birds more or less allied together. But, as before 

 stated, where is all this grouping to end 1 — for all birds are more 

 •or less allied to each other, much more so than frogs, lions, sheep, 

 buffaloes, or elephants can be said to be allied to them, although 

 all Nature's creatures, and each form part of the vast science of 

 Zoology. So it is quite sufficient if we describe each species by 

 itself, as we would read and study the biography of some great 

 man ; or some noted whale or white shark ; or the proverbial 

 white elephant, and simply class each species in the one wide 

 class of animated creatures called birds, which form the second 

 class in the order of Zoology or the complete science of Natural 

 History — the Mammalia being the first. 



I think my young readers will see what I mean by all this 

 jumble of Latin and British words — my object being to teach 

 them to enter upon the science of Ornithology, or the history of 

 birds, by the easiest means and shortest route. After being 

 started, they can easily find larger and better works which treat 

 on the same subject to take them further on. 



Names of the Different Parts of Birds. 



Still aiming to teach, next in order come some of the techni- 

 cal names of the various parts of our feathered friends, without 



