44 INTRODUCTION. 



and Scolopa'cids ; the Naiators, Lar'ids, Pelecak'ids, 

 Anat'ids, Al'cads, and Colym'bids, And, again, the genera 

 composing the Fissirosts may be Mer'opids, Hirun'dinids, 

 Caprimul'gids, To'dids, and Halcyon'ids, and so also of 

 all the other genera. The singular of any of the preceding 

 -will of course be formed by the simple omission of the s. 

 Thus, should this new nomenclature very generally pre- 

 vail, it might ultimately supersede all other arrangements, 

 and obviate, in some degree at least, the difficulties which 

 present themselves to a beginner in the study of this branch 

 of Natural History. We could proceed even farther in 

 the use of the preceding terms : the minor might become 

 an adjective to Ihe major: and Vulturid Raptor, Dentirost 

 Insessor, Phasianid Rasor, Scansor Insessor, or Cuculid 

 Scansor, fyc. may be aptly applied, and would convey at 

 once the generic and ordinal, or ordinal and classic con- 

 nection, mutatis mutandis. 



It may be observed here as a curious fact, that by far the 

 greater number of the Pie and Sparrow tribe in this 

 country, and perhaps elsewhere, generally lay five eggs ; 

 the Rook, the Crow, the Hedge-sparrow, Goldfinch, Black- 

 bird, Thrush, fyc. fyc. Those who are advocates of the 

 Quinary arrangement will doubtless advance this in cor- 

 roboration of the system. 



These then are the chief arrangements which offer as 

 most worthy of notice in the study of the Natural History 

 of Birds. It is greatly to be lamented that no one system 

 has yet appeared which, by its utility and simplicity, pro- 

 mises to supersede all others. It is however very probable 

 that the primary arrangements proposed by Mr. Vigors will 

 ultimately prevail; but ingenious as those arrangements 

 are, in an elementary work, like the present, it does not be- 

 come me to adopt them to the exclusion of others which 



