ORCHARD ORIOLE. 65 



degenerated by the influence of climate, or some other acci- 

 dental cause." 



How the influence of climate could affect one portion of a 

 species and not the other, when both reside in the same 

 climate, and feed nearly on the same food, or what acci- 

 dental cause could produce a difference so striking, and also 

 so regular, as exists between the two, are, I confess, matters 

 beyond my comprehension. But if it be recollected that the 

 bird which the Count was thus philosophising upon was 

 nothing more than the female Baltimore oriole, which exactly 

 corresponds to the description of his male bastard baltimore, 

 the difficulties at once vanish, and with them the whole super- 

 structure of theory founded on this mistake. Dr Latham, 

 also, while he confesses the great confusion and uncertainty 

 that prevail between the true and bastard baltimore and 

 their females, considers it highly probable that the whole 

 will be found to belong to one and the same species, in their 

 different changes of colour. In this conjecture, however, the 

 worthy naturalist has likewise been mistaken; and I shall 

 endeavour to point out the fact, as well as the source of this 

 mistake. 



And here I cannot but take notice of the name which 

 naturalists have bestowed on this bird, and which is certainly 

 remarkable. Specific names, to be perfect, ought to express 

 some peculiarity common to no other of the genus, and 

 should, at least, be consistent with truth ; but, in the case 

 now before us, the name has no one merit of the former, nor 

 even that of the latter to recommend it, and ought henceforth 

 to be rejected as highly improper, and calculated, like that of 

 goatsucker, and many others equally ridiculous, to perpetuate 

 that error from which it originated. The word bastard, 

 among men, has its determinate meaning ; but when applied 

 to a whole species of birds, perfectly distinct from any other, 

 originally deriving their peculiarities of form, manners, colour, 

 &c, from the common source of all created beings, and per- 

 petuating them, by the usual laws of generation, as unmixed 



vol. 1. E 



