Zoological Club of the Linnean Society. 507 



considered as trivial. He observed that the neglect of these minute 

 particulars by authours whose views have been eulogised as enlarged and 

 comprehensive, had led to errors, not merely as regarded species and 

 genera, but even as to the station in nature of animals, whose real affinities 

 were capable of being readily ascertained by means of these marks alone. 

 In illustration of these general observations, he adverted particularly to 

 the history of our acquaintance with the birds constituting the genus 

 Cryptonyx, Temm. Although the essential character of two birds of 

 this group was seen and noted by Dr. Latham, the absence of the claw 

 from their hind toes appeared to that ornithologist to be so trivial a cir- 

 cumstance that it did not even induce the suspicion of any relation 

 between them, much less that they were, as they were shortly after 

 shown to be, the sexes of the same species. In the General History of 

 Birds they were referred to diflferent genera, and located in distant parts 

 of the system, the male being characterized as the Columba cristata, and 

 the female as the Perdix viridis. In the Index Ornithologicus, these two 

 nominal species were, however, united into one, as the Perdix coronatus. 

 But, although that authour had seen a specimen, which now no longer 

 exists, of another species of Cryptonyx, his Columba Cambaiensis, he 

 still left the latter with the Pigeons, while the other was placed with the 

 Partridges. In the minute particular, as it appeared to the older authour, 

 in which these birds agree, is to be found the essential character of the 

 genus which has since been formed of them by M. Teraminck, 

 under the name of Cryptonyx: and this neglected point of their struc- 

 ture not only shows their immediate connexion with each other so as to 

 form a distinct group, but also indicates their situation in nature, 

 in almost immediate apposition with Hemipodius and the typical Rasores, 

 in which not only the claw, but the whole of the hind toe is wanting, as 

 unnecessary to the economy of birds, which neither perch nor clutch their 

 prey. The Chairman exhibited to the meeting specimens of the male 

 and female of the Cryptonyx cristatus, Temm. 5 of the Crypt, ocella- 

 tus, Tetrao ocellatus. Raffles; and of two new species of the genus 

 which he has since described, (page 349,) the Crypt, niger, and another, 

 somewhat approaching the description given of the Crypt. Cambaiensis, 

 but differing from it in size and colour. 



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