6 ‘BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR EGGS AND NESTS. 
for his own direct instruction, or merely in search of interesting 
pastime. If a boy only knows that a Reed-Sparrow is called a 
Reed-Sparrow or a Black-headed Bunting, and he wanted to find 
the Reed-sparrow’s eggs in a well-stocked collection, he might 
be half-an-hour before he lit upon what he wanted; but if he 
knew that the generic name of the Bunting was Hmberiza, and the 
specific name of the Reed-Sparrow, Scheniclus, he would be able to 
pitch upon his quarry in half-a-minute. Besides all which, no one 
was ever the worse for learning habits of orderly and systematic 
arrangement, even though he had to pay the price of doing a little 
puzzling head-achy work, and had to bother himself with a good 
many ugly-looking, ill-sounding, jaw-cracking words, such as 
Coccothraustes, Troglodytes, Platyrhynca, Phalacrocorax, and 
the like. 
It is proposed in this little book to adopt a classification which ° 
seems to meet with very general acceptance or acquiescence, and 
principally for that reason;—that, namely, which was employed 
by the late Mr. Yarrell. This classification depends on the system 
which divides all birds whatever into five great classes, viz:— - 
I. Raptores. . . . . Prey-catchers. 
ED) Teesessores.. ss goa Perehers. 
IML. Masores . .. «ss  Seratchers: 
IV. Grallatores . . . . Waders. 
V. Natatores . . . . Swimmers. 
Hach of these classes, or “Orders,” as they are technically 
called, is again divided either into distinct Families, or (at least 
in some cases) into Sub-classes, or Groups; these Groups being 
then further subdivided into Families. Again, these Families are 
made up of more or fewer gexera, and each en or 
ia Fe 
