688 OBSERVATIONS ON 



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the bill, and the consequent affinities of the bird. By repre- 

 senting the culmen as perfectly straight, this member is made 

 to assume the true form which belongs to Emberyza, to which 

 at best the whole construction of the bird bears but a remote 

 resemblance. By consulting the figure and description in our 

 Illustrations, it will be perceived that the culmen of the bill is 

 considerably arched ; and its construction, upon the whole, much 

 more in unison with that of Ploceus, than with any other 

 group. To us, this bird exhibits^ an osculent form, whose 

 natural situation is even doubtful. 



The Emberizoides of the PI. Col. were long ago characterized 

 by us as a subgenus under the name of Tardivola. Observa- 

 tions on these birds, made in their native regions, tend to point 

 out their natural affinities to be among the Tanagers. 



143. Fringilla Tristis, Auct. Is a typical Carduelis. 



148. Emberiza Oryzivora, placed by us as the type of a group named 

 Dolichonyx, for reasons stated at length in the Zool. Jour. No. 

 11, p. 351. We are not yet, however, prepared to offer any 

 opinion on its generic or subgeneric rank. 



167. Icterus, Cuv. It is scarcely possible to create greater confusion 

 than that which has been introduced in the nomenclature of this 

 family; but the attempt that has been made by M. Vieillot to 

 obliterate the prior designations given in the Regne Animal, and 

 this moreover has been done with so little consideration of the 

 birds in question, that the adult is not unfrequently placed in one 

 of these genera, while the young bird is to be found in another. 

 A total omission of such names and such characters would tend 

 much to keep the ideas of the student from being more per- 

 plexed than is absolutely necessary. We must however remark, 

 that the genus Agelaius, if restricted to such birds only as ex- 

 hibit the pecuharities of ^. Phoenicius, is typical of a truly 

 natural division, into which enters the Emberyza Oryzivora of 

 authors. 



172. Gemis Dacnis, Cuv. The species, separated by Wilson, and 

 defined by us as constituting the subgenus Vcrmivora, in the 



