^yo Clark, The Classification of Birds. |_Oct. * 



in nestling plumage, Oct. 27, Divala, October, November, and December. 



Arremonops conirostris (Bp.). — Six specimens, both sexes, Divala, 

 November and December. 



Sporophila aurita (Bp.). — Five specimens, both sexes, Divala, October 

 and November. 



Volatinia jacarina splendens (VieilL). — One adult ^, Divala, Novem- 

 ber 17. 



Icterus galbula (Linfi.). — Two males, Divala, December 9. 



Sturnella magna inexpectata Ridgxv. — One $ , David, October 16. 



Amblycercus holosericeus [Licht.). — Nine specimens, both sexes, 

 Divala, November and December. 



Cacicus microrhynchus {Scl. if- Salv.). — Five males, Divala, Novem- 

 ber and December. 



Ostinops decumanus (Pall.). — One adult $, Divala, November 12. 



Zarhynchus wagleri (Gray). — Three specimens, both sexes, Divala, 

 November and December. 



Cassidix oryzivora mexicana {Less.). — One adult J , David, October 15. 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 



BY HUBERT LYMAN CLARK. 



Therk is a good old saying that " fools rush in where angels 

 fear to tread," and the writer is aware that in approaching such a 

 very complex subject as the classification of birds, without far 

 more experience than he has had, he is laying himself open to a 

 very prompt and simple classification under the above given rule. 

 His only plea is that a simple classification of birds, one compar- 

 able with the classification of other animals, is greatly to be de- 

 sired, and he believes that in the field of pterylography a way to 

 such an end may be found. If one takes the trouble to examine 

 the classifications of birds as given in the most recent elementary 

 zoologies, and compares them with classifications by ornithologists 

 like Gadow or Sharpe, it will be perfectly obvious that general 

 zoologists prefer to cUng to the old, worn-out ' orders ' of Cuvier 

 and his immediate successors, than attempt to introduce their stu- 

 dents to the score or more ' orders ' of present-day authorities. 

 The belief is very general among zoologists that the orde7-s of birds 



