INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS. 5 



Each of these classes, or " Orders/' 5 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 genera, and each genus of more or 

 fewer xpecies. These species, so many of them as compose any 

 particular genus, all diit'er from one another more or less, but 

 vet have a strong general resemblance, or (what may familiarly 

 oe called) strong family likeness to each other. 



The general scheme or, as I may almost call it, the skeleton of 

 our classification will therefore stand thus : 



ORDER I. RAPTORES. 



FAMILY I. Vulturida* . . u Vulture-kind. 



II. Falconida .... Falcon- kind. 

 III. Strigida .... Owl-kind. 



II. INSESSORES. 



GROUP 1. DENTIROSTRES (TOOTH-BILLED). 



FAMILY I. Lamada .... Butcher-bird-kind. 



II. Muscicapida . . . Flycatcher-kind. 



III. Merulida .... Thrush-kind. 



IV. -A/MMfot . . . Wood bird-kind. 



V. Paridae .... Titmouse-kind. 



VI. AmpelidtB .... Wax wing-kind. 



VIL. Mutacillida . . . Wagtail-kind. 



VIII. Anthidae . . . . Antlms-kind. 



* Vulturidce, Falconidce, and the other similar names of families are, 

 most of them, Latin words, with Greek forms or terminations. The true or 

 real mean iig of any one of them would be, that the birds in the family so 

 na r ned are the children, or descendants, of the bird or birds whose name is 

 used thus, Vulturidx, sons of a Vulture or Vultures which, of course, is 

 nonsense, as the words are applied. What is meant by the use of the words 

 in question is that the birds grouped together in any one Family, all riarti- 

 cipate in some likeness of kind are, so to speak," connections" ot each other, 

 r that there is a sort of kin-ship among them. This I have ;ried to convey 

 in the annexed translation. It ought to be observed also that the Bird 

 whose name is given to the entire family is selected for such purpose as 

 possessing the characteristic qualities or peculiarities of the family in ques- 

 tion, or, at least, most of th-m in the strongest and most marked degree. 



t SylviadfB I have translated Wood-bird-kind, because Sylvia means 

 something connected with wood, if it means anything. Sylvia is taken, in 

 Bifd-noraen latnre, to denote a Warbler? and ir may be said, thai most of 

 t}v>se birds whicn come under this division are Warblers in some sense, and 

 are, in some degree or other, of sylvan habits ; at least if we give to the 

 word syiv in some latitude of meaning. 



