

iii' 



\(\ ): 



il 



108 



CHECK LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



668. Grtis americana (L.) Temm. b 478. c 402. R 582. 



White Crane; Whooping Crane. 



669. Grus canadensis (L.) Temm. b 480. c 463. r 684. 



Nortliern Sandhill Crane. 



670. Grus pratensis Baitr. B 479. c — . R 583. 



Southern Sandhill Crane. 



671. Aramus pictus (Bartr.) Coiios. B 481. C 404. R 581. 



Scoiopaceous Courlan ; Limpkin. 



672. Parra gymnostoma Wugl. b — . c — . r 5C8. (! m.) 



Mexican Jacand. 



673. Rallus longirostris crepitans (Gm.) Ridg. b 553. c 4fi5. R571. 



Clapper Rail; Salt Marsh Hen. 



668. GrQs Sm-6r-T-ca'-n5. Lat. >)nts, genitive gnus, feminine noun of tlic tliird declension, a 



crane. The word refers to tlie liollow guttural voice of the birds, <ind is iipparently 

 related to English grunt, 



669. G. can-5-d5n'-sls. It was doubtless upon the northern bird, figured by Edwards, that 



Linna;us based this name. G. fiutcrcuhts of Cassin lias been found distinct from the 

 common sandhill crane of the United States, and identical with the northern bird. It is 

 therefore properly a synonym of cmiadeiisis, and another name must be found for tlie 

 United States bird conmionly called ciniadensis. See next species. See Hidg., Bull. 

 Nutt. Club, V, 1880, p. 187 ; Coucs, ibid., p. 188. 



670. G. pra-ten'-sls. Lat. pratensis, relating to pratum, a field. 



Not in the orig. ed. See last species. 



671. Ar'-5-miSs pic'-tOs. The word aramus is unknown to us. Agassiz gives it as " nom. 



propr." A correspondent remarks: " Vieillot's Analyse is very incorrectly printed, and 

 some letter may have been omitted or changed ; hence the clue is still to seek. The 

 origin seems hopeless, unless revealed by accident." Under these circumstances, it 18 

 consoling to reflect that the word is more decorous in form than many of known classic 

 derivation. — Lat. pirtus, see Sctoplmija , No. 151. 



672. Far'-ra gym-no'-stfi-ma. Parra is a good Latin word, being the name of some unknown 



bird regarded as of ill-omen ; as occurring in I'liny, said to be the European Lapwing, 

 Vani'lliis cristatiis. Transferred by Linnxus to a mixed lot of spur-winged birds, 

 chiefly of America. " Ja9ana " is the Brazilian name of a species of this genus ; made 

 a generic term by Brisson in 1700, and we do not sec why it should not be cnij)loyed 

 instead of Parra. — Gr. yufni/Ss, naked, and <rr6fia, mouth ; in allusion to the caruncular 

 skin at the base of the bill. 



Not in tlie orig. ed. ; since discovered in Texas by J. C. Merrill : see Bull. Nutt. 

 Club, i, 1870, p. 88; Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., i, 1878, p. 107. 



673. Ral'-lGs lon-gl-ros'-trls crfip'-I-tans. Rallus is said to be contracted from rarulus, a 



diminutive of rarus, rare; and to mean thin, slight; if so, the adjective has become an 

 apt generic name for these lean narrow birds. It is more likely, however, to be 

 onomatopoeic. Latinized in late days from the French rasle, rale, a rattling cry, Kngl. 

 rail, to reproach, deride, &c., having nothing to do with the English rail (of a fence) ; 

 very applicable to these clamorous birds. — Lat. longirostris, long-billed. — Lat. nrpllans, 

 present participle of crepito, I creak, crackle, clatter, crepitate ; a frequentative or inten- 

 sive form of crepo, of same signification. 

 This is R. longirostris of the orig. ed. 



