194 WHITE-EARED HONEYGUIDE. 
lias recoiled upon liis own memory ; but that such 
an observer as Le Vaillant should join in the same 
opinion, will surprise every one who has not de- 
tected the peculiar blemish in the character of this 
otherwise unprejudiced observer. Le Vaillant, 
throughout his works, allows no merit to any one ; 
lie is perpetually catching at every error or fault of 
Buffon, and attempting to ridicule all scientific 
classifications ; his vanity could not brook the idea, 
that Spannan should have made an ornithological 
discovery in the very country he had traversed, but 
which had escaped his observation ; and his strong 
prejudice makes him deny a fact which every one 
upon the spot knew perfectly well. Accordingly, 
we find that Mr. Barrow observes, “ Every one in 
that country is too well acquainted with the Honey- 
guide to have any doubts as to the certainty either 
respecting the bird or its information of the re- 
positories of bees.” If more evidence was wanting 
than this and other similar confirmations of Dr. 
Sparman’s statement, it will be found in the fol- 
lowing note by M. Wiedeman, attached by a label 
to the specimen from which the subsequent descrip- 
tion was taken. “ So soon as this bird sees a man 
in the- woods, where a bee’s nest is in the neigh- 
bourhood, he flies before the man, and cries shirt 1 
shirt ! shirt !" 
We shall now transcribe our original description 
of this species, from a very fine specimen made in 
the year 1817- General plumage above brownish- 
grey ; chin, as far as the ears, covered by a uniform 
