ORDER GALLING. \ 107 



tleman beheld the wood-hen carry off' all her little ones, 

 seizing each in the bill. 



Such embarrassing points as these are only to be resolved 

 by naturalists who travel in pursuit of knowledge ; but, un- 

 fortunately, too many of these do not bestow the necessary 

 attention which the study of the manners, and an acquaint- 

 ance with the habits of the species which they have an oppor- 

 tunity of examining, require. This is the source of our 

 imperfect ideas concerning the habits of many animals. Our 

 travellers in general are too ambitious of diversifying their 

 observations, and of extending them to all possible subjects. 

 Thus they neglect that attention and minuteness of research 

 which each particular department of inquiry demands, if it 

 is to be at all cultivated with any real advantage to the pro- 

 gress of science. 



M. Temminck observes, that naturalists should not decide 

 too hastily on the apparent identity of the species which 

 compose the genus penelope. He says, that he has himself 

 been frequently deceived in this way, before he was enabled 

 to detect with certainty the characters of species which diff'er 

 but immaterially in the colours of their plumage, and among 

 which the characters which depend upon external forms are 

 but little apparent. This gentleman likewise remarks, with 

 great judgment, that it is equally necessary to be cautious, 

 especially with reference to the curassows, before comparisons 

 are established, or disparities determined in these species. It 

 is requisite to be assured whether the individuals concerning 

 which such points are to be decided, are originally of the 

 wild state, or have been produced in domestication. 



The great number of individuals bom in the menageries 

 of Holland have successively passed into public collections, 

 and into those of amateurs. These individuals, particularly 

 those of the three species of Crax Alector, Globicera, and 



