148 PYRRHULA FRONTALIS. 
also at once strike the eye of the least expert \ 
discriminating species ; in the present bird, the tin* ’ 
vivid crimson, whilst in the purple finch, it is rosace**^ 
In addition to these characters, the latter is a some"^, 
larger bird, with a pure white belly and inferior h"’ 
coverts, and a deeply emarginated tail; whilst 
former has a nearly even tail, and its belly and infef lS 
tail-coverts are striped with dusky. .. 
Some persons, without doubt, may think it lug*’ 
improper to separate generically two" birds, so closfj, 
allied as the present species and the purple finch, w’h 1 
may be mistaken for the same species; but >ve 1, i ' 
remark, that they stand at the extreme limit of 
respective genera, and form the links of union bet 
Pyrrhula and FringiUa. It is true,' that the intin 11 ! 
alliance of these two groups would seem to jurty 
Illiger, Meyer, and others, in uniting them under j 1 ' 
same genus ; but, as Fringilln is so vast in the nuB 1 *^, 
of its species, and Fyrrlutla has a few distinctive 
racters, we choose to follow Temminck, Vieillot, 
other naturalists, by arranging them generically sepa" 9 j 
The closeness of affinity between these two birds, 
thus properly disposed, affords no good reason for 
unitv of their- genera; for, if we proceed to the aboil"! 
of till artificial distinction between genera united 
almost imperceptible gradations, Sylvia would bejo% 
to Turdus, Myiothera to Troglodytes , Lanins to , 
cicapa, the whole of these would be confused togeth 6 ^ 
and, in fact, orders and classes would be considered ! 
genera; and even the vast groups, thus formed, W" 1 ! 
be still observed to unite inseparably at their extre^’l 
and we should finally be compelled to consider all 1> V " ,, 
bodies, both animal and vegetable, as belonging to f . 
genus. This argument, however, may not conV 11 ' 
every' naturalist of the propriety of our arrange"]!! 
and they must, therefore, place the two species, stn^' 
according to nature, in one genus, and consider 
present as a FringiUa ; but how unnatural will the" 
the situation of pyrrhula vulgaris, and Pyrrhula 
leator ! 
