94 
CINCLUS PALLASII. 
Latham referred it to Turdus . Brisson, mistaking' for 
affinity the strong and curious analogy which it bears 
to the waders, considered it as belonging to the genus 
Tringciy (sandpipers.) Bechstein, Illiger, Cuvier, and 
all the best modern authorities, have regarded it as the 
type of a natural genus, for which they have unani- 
mously retained the name of Cinclus, given by Bechstein, 
Vieillot alone dissenting, and calling it Hydrobata . This 
highly characteristic name, notwithstanding its close 
resemblance in sound and derivation to one already 
employed by Illiger, as the name of a family, appears to 
be a great favourite with recent ornithologists, as they 
have applied it successively to several different genera, 
and Temminck has lately attempted to impose it on the 
genus of ducks which I had named Fuligula. In my 
system, the genus Cinclus must take its place in 
the family Canori , between the genera Turdus and 
Myiothera . 
The dippers, or water ouzels, are well distinguished 
by their peculiarly shaped bill, which is compressed- 
subulate, slightly bent upwards, notched, and with its 
edges bent in, and finely denticulated from the middle; 
but more especially, by their long, stout, perfectly 
smooth tarsi, with the articulation exposed, a character 
'which is proper to the order of waders, of which they 
have also the habits, nay, are still more aquatic than any 
of them. Their plumage also being thick, compact, 
and oily, is impermeable to water, as much so as that 
of the most decidedly aquatic web-footed birds; for, 
when dipped into it, that fluid runs and drops from the 
surface. Their head is flat, with the forehead low and 
narrow ; the neck is stout ; the body short and compact ; 
the nostrils basal, concave, longitudinal, half covered by 
a membrane; tongue cartilaginous and bifid at tip. 
Their wings are short and rounded, furnished with a 
very short spurious feather, and having the third and 
fourth primaries longest; the tail short, even, and 
composed of wide feathers ; the nails large and robust ; 
the lateral toes are subequal, the outer united at base to 
the middle one, the hind toe being short and robust. 
