ILLUSTRATIONS OF ORNITHOLOGY. 
SCYTALOPUS, Govzp, 1836. 
Ar a meeting of the Zoological Society in October, 1836, Mr. 
Gould proposed a new genus of Wrens: “ The general contour of 
form,” he remarks, “ is that of Zroglodytes, from which it differs in 
possessing a shorter stouter and less acutely pointed bill, with an 
upward inclination instead of being gently incurved as in Troglo- 
dytes; the tail is eyen shorter than in that genus, and consists of 
decomposed feathers, the whole has a rugged and disunited appear- 
ance; and lastly, the tarsi have their posterior aspect regularly 
banded with narrow scales, instead of haying one or two continuous 
lamina on that part.” Mr. Gould a short time afterwards furnished 
us with sketches taken from these specimens, from which and his 
notes we gaye figures and descriptions in our “ Illustrations of Orni- 
thology” N.S., Plates XIX. and XX., as also the description of a 
third species from our own collection. The appearance of a figure 
and description of another species by Ménétries, in the Memoirs of 
the Academy of St. Petersburg, and the idea entertained that this 
was identical with one of Mr, Gould’s species, has induced us to give 
impressions from the plates used in the “ Illustrations,” and to 
figure the bird described by us there as S. undulatus, as well as 
one which we consider to be the species of Ménétries, specimens of 
which we lately procured in Liverpool, and from these it will be 
Seen, that the four are all quite distinct from each other. The 
reproduction of plates already published, we trust, will not be ob- 
jected to, particularly as there are now no copies of the “TIllustra- 
tions” for sale, unless such as may accidentally fall into the market, 
while the Memoirs of the Academy of St. Petersburg are not easily 
consulted, 
Mr. Gould characterized his genus — 
“Bill shorter than the head, compressed, rather blunt, and 
slightly recurved ; nostrils basal, covered with a membrane. Wings 
very feeble, very concave, very short, rounded; first quill abbre- 
‘ated, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth of equal length. Tail very 
short, very graduated (the outer feathers being extremely small), 
Consisting of decomposed feathers. Tarst long and stout, the fore 
bart covered with large scutelle; the hind part bound round with 
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