248 BIRDS. 



CiNCLUs,* Bechst. 



Or the Water-Thrushes, which have a compressed, straight bill, witli 

 mandibles of an equal height, nearly linear, and becoming sharp near the 

 point; the upper one hardly arcuated. There is but one in Europe. 



Sturnus cinclus, L. ; Turdus eindus, Lath.; Enl. 940; Vieill. 

 Gal. 152. (The Water-Thrush). Legs rather long, and a rather 

 short tail, which approximate it to the Ant-catchers. It is brown, 

 with a white throat and breast, and has the singular habit of de- 

 scending into the water, not swimming, but walking about on the 

 bottom in search of the little animals which constitute its food. 

 Africa, and the countries bordering on the Indian Ocean, produce a 

 genus of birds neighbours of the Thrushes, which I shall call 



PHILEDONf. 



Their bill is compressed, slightly arcuated throughout its length, and 

 emarginate near the point ; nostrils large, and covered by a cartilaginous 

 scale; their tongue terminated by a pencil of hairs. 



The species generally remarkable for some singularity of conformation, 

 have been bandied about by authors in all kinds of genera. 



Some of them have fleshy bobs at the base of the bill;|. 



In others, portions of the skin on the cheeks are divested of feathers] |. 



Even in those which are completely feathered, we still observe, at 

 times, a singular disposition of the plumage§. 



* Vieillot has changed this name into that of Hydrobata. 



t Commersou had an idea of thus naming the Polochion {Merops ruphiccensis, Gm.), 

 which is of this genus. See Buff. Hist, des Ois. VI., 4to. p. 477. Vieillot places 

 the greater number of these birds in his genus Polochion, and in Latin he prefers 

 calling it Philemon rather than Philedon, Gal. 189. The genus Meliphaga of 

 Lewin also is comprised in it. 



X Here comes the New Holland bird called, by Daudin, Omith. II. pi. xvi, Pie 

 a pendeloques, or Corvits paradoxus, Vieill. Gal. 94, the same as the Merops caruncu- 

 laitis of Phillip., of Latham, and of Shaw, but which has not the feet of a Merops, 

 and whose bill is notclied, the tongue pencillated, and nostrils without feathers. 

 The Sturnus carunculatus. Lath, and Gm., or Gracula carunculata, Daud. and Shaw, 

 (Lath. Sjn. Ill, pi. xxxvi), and the Certhia carunculata, Lath, and Gm. (Vieill. 

 Ois. Dor. II, pi. Ixix), also appear to me to belong to it. The latter bird, it is said, 

 sings delightfully, and belongs to the Friendly Islands. It is from this sub-division 

 that Vieillot has taken his genus Creadion, Gal. 94. 



II The Merops phri/gius of Shaw, Gen. Zool. VIII, pi. xx; — the Goruch, Vieill. 

 Ois. Dor. II, pi. Lsxxviii. (C. gorucJc, Sh.); — the Fuscalbin, Id. lb. pi. Ixi. (C luna- 

 ta); — the Gracule, Id. lb. pi. Ixxxvii. (C. graculina); — the Polochion of Buff. [Me- 

 rops moluccensis, Gm.); — the Ph. a oreilles jaunes, Less. Voy. de Duperrey, pl. 21, 

 bis, and some new species belong to this division. 



§ Particularly in the Merops Nova Hollandia, Gm. and Brown, 111. ix., or Merle 

 a cravate frisee, VaLll. Afr., or Merops circinnatus, Lath, and Shaw, Gen. Zool. Vlll. 

 pl. xxii. They are the feathers of the ears which become frizzled, as they descend 

 almost in front of the breast. — Melliph. auricornis, Swains. Zool. 111. p. 43. 



Add Certh. auriculata, Vieill. Ois. Dor. 85. — C. Nova Hollandia, lb. 7. 



The species of this genus which have none of these singularities, are the Certhia xan- 

 totus, Sh. Vieill. Ois. Dor. II, pl. 84.— C. australasiana, lb. 55.— C. mcllivora, lb. 86.— 

 C. carulea, lb. 83. — C seniculus, lb. 50. I am even of opinion that the Cap noir, 

 Vieill. pl. 60, {Certhia cucullata, Sh.) belongs to them, notwithstanding the length 



