30 



INTRODUCTION. 



shape and length of the tail ; the number, situation, &c. of 

 the toes; the colour and figure of the bill, &,c. 



The VARIETIES of the same species are still farther dis- 

 tinguished by more minute and slighter shades of difforen«.e. 



The limits to which I am restricted will not permit 

 me to name all the species which are arranged under each 

 genus of the preceding orders ; but an account of the most 

 striking species of each genus, as well as of those in the ad- 

 ditional genera of Dr. Latham, will be, nevertheless, found 

 in the subsequent Notes, so that it is hoped nothing of 

 importance in the Natural History of Birds has been 

 omitted. 



It will now be necessary that we should advert to some 

 other arrangements. 



Mr. Pennant classed Birds, first, into two grand divi- 

 sions — Land-Birds and Water-Birds. These he again 

 divided into nine orders, of which the Land-Birds formed 

 six,— namely. Rapacious ; Pies ; Gallinaceous ; Colum- 

 bine ; Passerine ; Struthious. The Water-Birds three, 

 —namely, Clove-Footed or Waders ; Pinnated Feet ; 

 and Web footed. 



The number of genera in the Linnean arrangement is 

 seventy-eight; of Mr. Pennant's, ninety-five; of Dr. 

 Latham's, in the last edition of his work, 112*. 



The system of Brisson is apparently, at least, more scien- 

 tific than any of the preceding ; the divisions arc more nu- 

 merous, and, therefore, less liable to exceptions. His first 



* General History of BirdSy by John Latham, m.d. <&c. &c., 

 in ten volumes, 4:to. with nearly two hundred plates. This intelli- 

 gent and venerable naturalist resides at Winchester : his work 

 has been for many years before the public; it has undergone^ 

 from time to time, considerable iitoprovement. 



