OBSERVATIONS 
ON THE 
BN ee AS Yd i OO 
BY THE 
BARON DE LA FRESNAYE, 
— 
We have had the pleasure of receiving a letter from the Baron de 
la Fresnaye, containing some observations on the genus Scytalopus 
of Gould, and its allies, with some excellent critical remarks upon 
the synonimy of the species, chiefly suggested by the figures and 
descriptions published in our last part, We quite agree with the 
Baron in the priority of Merulaxis, Lesson, if this title is to be 
adopted for all the forms, but we cannot agree in placing the M. ater 
Less., the type of his genus, as congeneric with the small wren-like 
birds which we have figured under the title of Scytalopus. 
Falaise (Calvados) France, 
14th October, 1851. 
Dear Sir, — Being a subscriber to your charming Contributions 
to Ornithology, the reading of your interesting note on the genus 
Scytalopus in the last part I have received, has suggested to me 
the thought of requesting you to publish my subsequent observa- 
tions on that genus. 
After the law of priority has been now so generally adopted 
among all naturalists, I am surprised that this is not observed 
for this genus. You know that Scytalopus has for synonymes, 
Merulawis of Lesson ; Platyurus, Swainson ; Malacorhynchus, Méné- 
triés. Now, Merulawis was published and figured in 1830 by Lesson 
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