8 
BOHEMIAN WAX-WING. 
needed in our time any additional refutation, the discovery of this 
bird in the north-western territory near the Rocky Mountains, 
would afford it. By appearing in its full size and perfection, 
exactly similar to the European individuals of its species, it would 
vindicate its smaller relation, the common and familiar Cedar-bird 
from the reproach of degeneracy. But with the more enlightened 
opinions that now prevail, its occurrence in that unexplored 
portion of the globe is important chiefly as tending to solve the 
problem of the place of abode of this mysterious wanderer; espe¬ 
cially as, by a singular coincidence, whilst we were proclaiming 
this species as American it was received by Temminck from 
Japan, together with a new species, the third known of the genus, 
which he has caused to be figured and distinguished by the 
appropriate name of Bombycilia phcenicoptera, Boie. Besides the 
red band across the wing, whence its name is derived, the length 
of its crest adorned with black feathers, and the uniform absence 
in all states, of the corneous appendages of the wings, this new 
species, resembling more in size and shape the Carolina Wax-wing 
(Cedar-bird) than the present, is eminently distinguished from 
both by wanting the small, closely set feathers covering the 
nostrils, hitherto assigned as one of the characters of the genus. 
This example evinces the insufficiency of that character, though 
Illiger considered it of such importance as to induce him to unite 
in his great genus Corvus (comprehending this as well as several 
other distinct groups), all the species possessing it. It shows 
especially how erroneous it is to form two separate families for 
the allied genera with covered or naked nostrils. In fact, the 
genus as it now stands, is, not the less for this aberration, an 
exceedingly natural one, though the two species that are now 
known to inhabit America are still more allied to each other 
than either of them to the Japanese, the present (Bohemian) 
differing chiefly by its larger size, mahogany-brown tail-coverts. 
