220 ornithologist's text-book. 



carried into effect, could not have answered the 

 purposes of science during the Linnaean era. 

 It would have been inconvenient to have given 

 the name " Falcon" to all the members of the 

 extensive Linnaean genus Falco, or indeed to any 

 of the more comprehensive genera of the illus- 

 trious Swede; — as Motacilla, Anas, Ardea, &c. 

 For these divisions could not properly be termed 

 genera, but rather families. Genus is the name 

 given by modern Zoologists to the smallest divi- 

 sion, and each of these should obviously possess a 

 distinct English appellation, to correspond to the 

 Latin one. But to designate the Falco chrysaetos 

 of Linnaeus the " Golden Falcon", or the Motacilla 

 rubecula the " Redbreast Wagtail", would be ab- 

 surd. The genera Aquila and Falco, Motacilla 

 and Rubecula, are so entirely distinct, that the 

 impropriety of arranging them in the same generic 

 group is no longer doubted, and thus, though the 

 classification of the great Linnaeus is the most 

 beautiful and simple artificial system hitherto pro- 

 mulgated, yet its inadequacy to answer the pur- 

 poses of science at the present day, is sufficiently 

 obvious, and becomes the more so the further we 

 extend our knowledge of species. The propriety 

 or impropriety of giving to each genus, of a system 

 now universally abandoned, a separate English 

 designation, is, therefore, of little or no conse- 

 quence. It is now admitted, by all our most emi- 

 nent Zoologists, that the genera of Linnaeus rank 

 more properly as families. These families are 

 again divided into subfamilies, and the subfami- 

 lies into genera. It is with these last, as now re- 

 stricted, that we shall have occasion to speak. 



That great improvements, in the vernacular de- 

 signations of birds, have been effected, since the 

 time of the illustrious Willughby, is very evident. 

 Ornithologists no longer disgrace their catalogues 



