120 Mr. Vigors's Repli/ to some Observations 



the random and inconsiderate hallucinations of criticism : — 

 In the former character he simply declares the fact, — " Les 

 anciens ottt connii plusieiirs perroquetx, parmi lesquels le plus 

 celebre est la perruche envoyee de I'lnde par Alexandre "[p. 10.] 



; in the latter capacity he either forgets this fact, or wilfully 



misrepresents it ; — " Le nom qu'il [le genre Palu'ornb'] recoit 

 semble indiquer que tons les oiseaux qu'il rcnforme etoient 

 connus des anciens, et cependant il n\ij en a qii'un seul, la per- 

 ruche d'Alexandre" [p. 20.]. — What inference are we to draw 

 from the contradiction that thus sets these adjoining pages of this 

 ■writer at variance ? Are we to conclude that it is Homer himself 

 that nods? Or rather have we not two Homers " in the field"? 



My genus Platycercus is equally unfortunate as Palceornis. 

 The name, as it appears by the critick's account, is inapplicable 

 to several species enumerated in the group, namely Plat. Paciftcus^ 

 UlietannSy cornutus^ and aiiriceps, inasmuch as these species have 

 narrow and pointed tails, [queues aiguees et pointucs,] not broad 

 tails [queues plates] as the term would import. I should here, 

 Gentlemen, apply the same observations respecting the aberration 

 of character in the extreme species of a group which I have 

 advanced in the preceding case of Palceornis, did I not conceive 

 that I should be trifling with your time and that of your readers, 

 by not at once meeting the assertion of the Avriter in the " Dic- 

 iionnaire^^ by a decided contradiction. Tllb species enumerated 

 above certainly forma small minour group in the genus, as I have 

 myself elsewhere observed. They are geographically separated 

 from the others, being found in the Australian islands, not on the 

 continent of New Holland ; and deviating from the typical species 

 by some subordinate variations of character, they probably will 

 hereafter form a new genus when further subdivision becomes 

 necessary in this branch of the family. But although the tail of 

 these species is more graduated than in the typical species Plat. 

 Pennantii, and thus points out the passage to Pezoporus, it is yet 

 so conspicuously broad at the base and centre, as to be fully 

 entitled to the character I have assigned it of being " lata, de- 

 pressa," and thus to bear out the applicability of the title 

 Platycercus to the whole group. The three last mentioned 



