368 Letters. Exiractft, and Notes. [Ibis. 



'■ Tiirdus iluicus' is provided with two characteristics, tlie 

 first of wliich, '• alis sul)tus flavcsccMitibns/^ I)elongs to the 

 Song-Thrush, the second, " rectricil)us tribus lateralibus 

 apice utriiKiue albis." applies to the Missel-Thrush. 



' Turdns nmsicus.'' again, receives a diagnosis which 

 evidently is taken from a Redwing, viz., " alis subtns 

 ferrngineis. linea superciliorum albicante.'' If, however, 

 we follow Linnpcus' quotation of himself in tlie 'Fauna 

 Suecica,' no. 189, we find there a diagnosis and a description 

 of the lledwingj but at the same tinu> some additional notes 

 which quite as clearly point to the Song-Thrush, viz., 

 '• Ova 6 cpcrnlco-viridia maculis nigris variis." The quoted 

 vernacular names, " Smolandis Klera, Ostrof/ot/iis Kladra,'^ 

 belong also to the Song-Thrush. 



It is not much better in the second edition of ' rauiui 

 Suecica,' 1 701. The short diagnosis of ' Turdns mnsicus.' 

 " remigibus basi interiore ferrngineis," contains, of course, 

 only a characteristic of the Redwing. The diagnosis and 

 description of ' Turdns iliacus ' are similar to that of the 

 first edition. In the same way the notes about eggs and 

 vernacular nnnies referring to the Song-Thrush are the 

 same as in the first edition : theie is only one more ver- 

 nacular name added, viz., " IVestnmnnis Talltrast," and 

 this belongs just as much to the Song-Thrush. 



In Syst. Nat. ed. 12, the diagnosis of ' Turdns iliacus ' is 

 clearly that of the Redwing, and that of " Turdns mnsicns' 

 applies also to the Redwing with the words ''remigibus basi 

 iuteriore ferrngineis.^^ 



To sum up, it appears most probable that, although 

 Linnneus knew the biology of the Song-Thrush, admired its 

 singing power, and had seen its nest and eggs, he never had 

 examined, at least not accurately, such a bird, A Redwing, 

 on the contrary, he had evidently had in his hands, and 

 correetlv perceived its characteristics, but he took it to be 

 the bird which he had heard singing, and the eggs of which 

 he had seen, lie had from the literature understood that 

 there were two species, but he mixed them up, and partly 

 also the Missel-Thrush. 



The result of this is that, although the specific names 



