428 GLOSSY IBIS. 
to one or the other, and even when it may be impossible to say 
to which they ought to be referred, we still cannot admit them 
as types of an intermediate group. At other times the inter- 
mediate species form a small group by themselves, and although 
a portion of such a connecting group shows great affinity to 
that which follows it, while another portion is equally con- 
nected with a preceding group, yet the two parts are still 
more related between themselves. So it is with the family 
of Tantalide or Falcati, formed from the genus Tantalus 
of Linné, and composed of but two very natural genera, 
Tantalus and Ibis, the former of which retains a resemblance 
to the Ardeide or Cultrirostres, while the latter claims a 
stronger affinity with the Scolopacide or Limicole. Nothing, 
in our opinion, shows more the propriety, and even necessity, 
of distinguishing this small intermediate group from those 
which touch upon it. 
Buffon and Brisson, who used as a character the artificial 
one of the curved bill, did not separate the Tantalide from 
the curlews, which are real Scolopacide, though somewhat 
allied to 2bzs. Linné, whose philosophical tact was seldom at, 
fault, and who crowded all the Scolopacide into his arbitrary 
genera Zringa and Scolopax, did not, however, confound the 
two families, for he employed as a distinguishing mark of his 
genus Tantalus the important character of the naked face. 
He was followed by Latham and others. The Jbzs of Lacépeéde 
is equivalent to the Zantalus of Linné, though by giving the 
genus this name, (which Latham had done in English), he 
obtained the credit of being the founder of the genus Jbzs, but 
unjustly, as he included in it all the smooth and thick-billed 
Tantal. To Illiger belongs the merit of having first made 
the distinction between them, and Cuvier, Vieillot, Temminck, 
and most others have followed his course, though some German 
authors call the restricted genus Falcinellus. The present 
family was instituted by Illiger under the name of Falcatz, 
Vieillot and Ranzani adopted it under the name of Falcirostres, 
Boié called it “ of the Zbzdes,” but Cuvier and Latreille placed 
