440 



Tetrao fusca, Ord, Guthrie's Geog. 2d Am. ed. ii. 1815, 317. 



l!^otwithstandiug- tbat the authors give extended aecouuts of their 

 three kinds of Pheasants, the descriptions are not of a character to ren- 

 der them readily available for identilication of the species. The first, 

 the "large black and white" one, would be taken for Tetrao obscuriis, 

 or its variety richardsonii ; but the mention of eighteen feathers iu the 

 tail, and of " tufts of long black feathers" on the neck, militates against 

 this supposition, rather suggesting Bonasa. Nevertheless, the two fol- 

 lowing species are said to be only " half the size" of this first one, which 

 could only be true if the latter were as large as T. obscurus. The 

 descriptions of all three, in fact, seem to have been drawn np from mem- 

 ory, with some confnsiou of ideas ; and, however they may finally be 

 identified,! think such identification likely to remain merely opiniouative. 

 The " Small Brown Pheasant" is the only one of the three upon which a; 

 specific name has been established, it being the basis of Tetrao fusca of 

 Ord. This name has been referred by some late writers with a query 

 to Tetrao canadensis var. franlxUni, but I do not see anything iu the 

 original account which forbids us to suppose it intended for Bonasa um- 

 bellus var. sabinii. The name of Ord should not be em[)loyed as long- 

 as the uncertainty continues. 



" The Buzzard:' 



Allen, ii. 183.— Eees, 4to, 475.— Eees, 8vo, 48. M'Vickar, ii. 354. 

 Vttltur californianus, Shaw, Nat. Misc. ix. 1797, pi. 301. 

 Cathartes californianus of recent authors in general. 

 VitJtur cohimhianus, Ord, Guthrie's Geog. 2d Am. ed. ii. 1815, 315, 

 (based on Lewis and Clarke). 

 Cathartes indturinus, Temm., PI. Color. 1820, 31. 



Under the name of "Buzzard." the authors minutely describe the 

 great Californian Vulture, which, though already provided with a name, 

 was renamed by Ord, upon the strength of their description, and subse- 

 quently by Temminck, apparently upon some principle like stet pro ra- 

 tione voluntas, for the last-named author was sufticieutly aware that, 

 there was a i)rior designation. 



" The Eobin:' 



Allen, ii. 184, — Rees, 4to, 476. — Rees, 8v^o, iii. 50. — M- Vicar, ii. 355. 

 Turdus nwvius, Gm.. Syst. Nat. i. 178S, 817, and of authors. 

 Turdus auroreus ! Pall., Zoog. Rosso-As. i. 1831, 448, No. 87. 

 Orpheus meruloides, Sw. & Rich., Fn. Bor.-Am. ii. 1831, 187, pi. 38. 



Described with great particularity and with accuracy. Here given 

 under the common name, which is more frequently used in connection 

 with Tardus migratorius ; the authors distinguish it from the latter, a 

 little further on, as the " Columbian Robin." 



" Crotc and Baven.''' 



Allen, ii. 185. — Rees, 4fo, 477. — Rees, 8vo, iii. 51. — M'Vicar, ii. 350. 



No description is given, and in fact the authors speak of the two birds 

 as if they were one. An allusion to the small size of the Columbia 

 River bird permits the supposition that they may have had Corvus can- 

 rinus iu partial view. 



'^TheEau-Jcs:' 



Allen, ii. 185.— Rees, 4to, 477.— Rees, 8vc, 51. M'Vickar, ii. 350. 



