ORNITHOLOGY. 



History. Genus Mergus. Mergansers. Beak denticular cylindrical, 

 ^-""v— -"' the tip hooked : six species. 



Alca. Auks. Beak short, compressed, convex, fur- 

 rowed, the lower mandible with a prominent angle : 

 five species. 

 Procellaria. Petrels. Beak a little compressed ; the 

 upper mandible hooked, the lower channelled and 

 compressed at the tip : six species. 

 Diomedea. Albatrosses. Beak straight; upper man- 

 dible hooked at the tip, lower abrupt : two species. 

 Pehcanus. Pelicans, solan-geese, cormorants. Beak 

 straight, the tip hooked, unguiculate : eight species. 

 Plotus. Darters. Beak straight, sharp-pointed, den- 

 ticulate : one species. 

 Phaeton. Tropic birds. Beak cultrate, straight, acu- 

 minate : two species. 

 Cohjmbus. Divers. Beak slender, straight, sharp-point- 

 ed : eleven species. 

 Larus. Gull. Beak straight, cultrate, the tip slightly 

 hooked, the lower mandible with an angular pro- 

 minence : eleven species. 

 Sterna. Terns or sea-swallows. Beak slender, nearly 



straight, acute, compressed : seven species. 

 Rynchops. Skimmers. Beak straight ; upper mandible 

 much shorten, lower abruptly terminated : two species. 



Order IV. Grall^. Waders or shore-birds. Bill 

 somewhat cylindrical ; the feet long, bare above the tarsus, 

 and formed for wading. 



Genus Phcenicopterus. Flamingoes. Beak incurvated as 

 if broken, denticulate ; feet webbed : one species. 

 Platalea. Spoon-bills. Beak flattish, the tip dilated, 



rounded, and flat : three species. 

 Palamedea. Screamers. Beak conical ; the upper man- 

 dible hooked : two species. 

 Mycteria. Jabiru. Beak acute ; lower mandible tri- 

 gonal, ascending ; upper three-cornered, straight : one 

 species. 

 Cancroma. Boat-bills. Beak bulging; the upper man- 

 dible resembling a boat with the keel uppermost: two 

 species. 

 Ardea. Herons and cranes. Beak straight, acute, long, 

 a little compressed, with a furrow from the nostrils to 

 the tip : twenty*six species. 

 Tantalus. Ibis. Beak long, slender, arcuate ; face 



bare : seven species. 

 Scolopax. Snipes and curlews. Beak long, slender, ob- 

 tuse ; face feathered : eighteen species. 

 Tringa. Sand-pipers, or shore-larks. Beak roundish, 

 as long as the head ; nostrils linear ; feet with four 

 toes : twenty-three species. 

 Charadrius. Plovers. Beak roundish, obtuse ; feet 



with three toes ; twelve species. 

 Recurvirostra. Avosets. Beak slender, recurved, point- 

 ed, the tip flexible : one species. 

 Hcematopus. Oyster-catchers. Beak compressed, the 



tip wedge-shaped : one species. 

 Fulica. Coots. Beak convex ; upper mandible arch- 

 ed over the lower, which has a prominent angle : 

 seven species. 

 Parra. Jacanas. Beak roundish, rather blunt ; fore- 

 head wattled ; wings spurred : five species. 

 Rallus. Rails. Beak thicker at the base, compressed, 



acute : ten species. 

 Psophia. Trumpeter. Beak conical, convex, rather 



sharp ; the upper mandible longer : one species. 

 Otis. Bustards. Beak with the upper mandible arch- 

 ed : four species. 

 Struthio. Ostrich and cassuary. Beak somewhat co- 

 nical ; wings unfit for flying : three species. 



Order V. Galling. Poultry and other gallinace- 

 ous birds. Bill convex, the upper mandible arched over *"" 

 the lower, the nostrils arched with a cartilaginous mem- 

 brane. Feet with the toes separated, and rough beneath. 



Genus Didus. Beak contracted in the middle, with two 

 transverse rugae ; the tip of both mandibles bent in- 

 wards : one species, now extinct. 



Pavo. Pea-fowl. Head covered with feathers, those of the 

 rump elongated, with eye-like spots : three species. 



Meleagris. Turkeys. Head covered with spongy ca- 

 runcles ; the throat with a longitudinal membranous 

 wattle : three species. 



Crax. Curassoes. Beak with a cere at the base ; head 

 covered with recurved feathers : five species. 



Phasianus. Domestic fowls and pheasants. Sides of 

 the head bare : six species. 



Numida. Guinea-fowls. Carunculated wattles on each 

 side of the face ; head with a horny crest : one species. 



Tetrao. Grouse and partridges. Bare papillae near the 

 eyes : twenty species. 



Order VI. Passeres. Passerine birds, and others. Bill 

 conical, sharp pointed ; feet slender, the toes separated. 



Genus Columba. Pigeons. Beak straight ; nostrils with 

 a tumid membrane : forty species. 

 Alauda. Larks. Beak slender, pointed ; tongue slit ; 

 hind claws very long : eleven species. 



Sturnus. Starlings. Beak slender, pointed ; flattened 

 towards the point : five species. 



Turdus. Thrushes. Beak subulate, compressed, notch- 

 ed : seven species. 



Ampelis. Chatterers. Beak awl-shaped, depressed at 

 the base, notched : seven species. 



Loxia. Gross-beaks, bullfinches, &c. Beak conical, 

 bulging at the base : forty-eight species. 



Emberiza. Bunting. Beak somewhat conical ; lower 

 mandible broader : twenty-four species. 



Tanagra. Tanager. Beak notched, awl-shaped, coni- 

 cal at the base : twenty-one species. 



Motacilla. Wagtails and warblers. Beak awl-shaped ; 

 tongue jagged ; claw of the hind toe of moderate 

 length : forty-nine species. 



Pipra. Manakin. Beak awl-shaped, feathers at its 

 base directed forwards ; tongue abrupt : fourteen spe- 

 cies. 



Hirundo. Swallows. Beak very small, depressed at the 

 base, incurved ; the mouth wider than the head : 

 twelve species. 



Caprimulgus. Goat-suckers. Beak very small, incurv- 

 ed, depressed at the base ; large bristles ; the mouth 

 very wide : two species. 



547 



History. 



The amount of species in the class of birds with which 

 Linnaeus had to form his system did not greatly exceed 

 nine hundred. Yet with what admirable tact has he seized 

 upon the characteristic forms which so long served as the 

 nuclei around which so many other species were assem- 

 bled! It is true that his arrangement, like all other in- 

 ventions of human genius, is liable to many objections, and 

 may not suit the subject in the wide extent acquired in re- 

 cent times ; — but when we see how closely his ordinal di- 

 visions accord even with the most elaborate arrangements 

 of modern days, and how gracefully his generic groups may 

 now be formed into more extended families, each retain- 

 ing such strong affinities in its constituent parts, we the 

 more incline to marvel at the two following circumstances ; 

 — 1st, That Linnaeus himself should have so far advanced 

 before his age, and anticipated the labours of posterity : 

 2d, that that posterity, or such portion of the same as in- 



