ORDER ACCIPITRES. 89 



&c. ; but among them are birds very different in organization 

 and habits, such as the martin, fisher, &c. In the fifth book 

 he treats of land-birds that construct their nests on the ground, 

 as the ostrich, peacock, land-curlew, partridge, pheasant, quail, 

 &c. To these, pretty exactly approximated together, Belon 

 adds others that have but little analogy with them ; for instance, 

 the plover, the lark, and the woodcock. To this he was led by 

 the peculiar habit which he selected as the characteristic of 

 these birds, namely, the position of their nests. The sixth is 

 occupied with birds of various habits and omnivorous diet, as 

 crows, ravens, jays, pies, perroquets, pigeons, &c. The seventh 

 and last describes birds that haunt the hedges, bushes, groves, 

 &c. as the nightingale, linnet, tomtit, canary, sparrow, &c. &c. 



Belon does not group the species into genera, but in general 

 approximates together those which have naturally the greatest 

 affinity. We may discover, however, in his Avork, indications 

 of more general divisions of considerable value, and which may 

 be termed orders. The second book, for example, evidently 

 corresponds to the order denominated by modern naturalists 

 accipitres, raptores, zoophagi, or birds of prey : the third, to 

 the order palmipedes : the fourth, for the most part, to the 

 grallse. The first part of the fifth comprehends all the gallinse ; 

 and the rest of it and the sixth contain those birds so difficult 

 to characterise in a general way, and which constitute the order 

 passeres. 



Gesner's book, though full of erudition and very excellent 

 remarks on the birds of Switzerland, is alphabetical in its 

 arrangement. 



Aldrovandus, though he gives no new descriptions, has yet 

 classified all the species known in his time. He has not 

 admitted genera, but he has established groups which may. be 

 compared to what we now term families. He was an indefati- 

 gable and indiscriminate compiler, and has swelled out his 

 book to three folio volumes. His first volume contains twelve 

 books, of which the- following are the titles : — 1. Of eagles in 



