BOHEMIAN WAXWING. 353 
climates, needed in our time any additional refutation, the 
discovery of this bird in the north-western territory, near the 
Rocky Mountains, would afford it. By appearing in its full 
size and perfection, exactly similar to the Huropean individuals 
of its species, it would vindicate its smaller relation, the com- 
mon and familiar cedar-bird, from the reproach of degeneracy. 
But with the more enlightened opinions that now prevail, its 
occurrence in that unexplored portion of the globe is impor- 
tant, chiefly as tending to solve the problem of the place of 
abode of this mysterious wanderer ; especially as, by a singular 
coincidence, whilst we were proclaiming this species as Ameri- 
can, it was received by Temminck from Japan, together with 
a new species, the third known of the genus, which he has 
caused to be figured and distinguished by the appropriate name 
of Bombycilla phenicoptera, Boié. Besides the red band 
across the wing, whence its name is derived, the length of its 
crest, adorned with black feathers, and the uniform absence, 
in all states, of the corneous appendages of the wings, this 
new species, resembling more in size and shape the Carolina 
waxwing (cedar-bird) than the present, is eminently distin- 
guished from both by wanting the small, closely-set feathers 
covering the nostrils, hitherto assigned as one of the characters 
of the genus. This example evinces the insufficiency of that 
character, though Illiger considered it of such importance as 
to induce him to unite in his great genus Corvus (comprehend- 
ing this as well as several other distinct groups) all the spe- 
cies possessing it. It shows especially how erroneous it is to 
form two separate families for the allied genera with covered 
or naked nostrils. In fact, the genus as it now stands is, not 
the less for this aberration, an exceedingly natural one, though 
the two species that are now known to inhabit America are 
still more allied to each other than either of them to the 
Japanese, the present (Bohemian) differing chiefly by its larger 
size, mahogany-brown tail-coverts, and cinereous belly, the 
first being white and the second yellowish in the cedar-bird, 
which also wants the yellow and white markings on the wing. 
VOL, IL. Z 
