Bp eee eee
FF ea
Epes
Fer
Sites
An
Peter ere i peiore SELL PILES
ceo SS Fs nee Me ele Sep he=
* rks 2 pala k
iG
i
Hi
sie
bers ey Ve
A
R i} Avene Vt tot ay ba :
Py. tag RL nN } ' 0 Belair
Larne Cais
iyhe Alvar Boy i aye
q
Mi iN
f aie if Nye
Cael dh
Tih AW
iy it
Wy FA histays
wv
Pye ne ys 4
teh ‘
)
eas
A
hs Ua Ti
une AY
Sas OB
ge
th Ht
Peeyyi
likaday Wpidiis
Verve
Ween eb aye
Pal
Vy
Ni,
Cn)
A ie
yay
re i
Uy Aaa a AE
i ,
para
eye ty
Ig Ga
aie ror Nye
PAE : r
oe
vha ee
) oy,
f
st
i
THE iy
&
“DO
0, pe
ANIMAL KINGDOM
ARRANGED IN CONFORMITY WITH ITS ORGANIZATION,
4
BY THE BARON CUVIER,
PERPETUAL SECRETARY TO THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ETC. ETC, ETC.
THE CRUSTACEA, ARACHNIDES AND INSECTA,
BY P. A. LATREILLE,
MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ETC, ETC. ETC,
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH,
WITH NOTES AND ADDITIONS,
BY? H: M’7MURTRIES MM: Di &os: &e:
IN FOUR VOLUMES, WITH PLATES,"
VOLUME I.
NEW YORK:
“Gyv& C. & HGCA R Vib.
MDCCCXXxXI.
Entered according to the act of congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and
thirty-one, by G. & C. & H. Carvill, in the clerk’s office of the southern district of
New York,
Philadelphia :
Printed by James Kay, Jun. & Co.
Printers to the American Philosophical Society.
& No. 4, Minor Street.
REMARKS.
In presenting to the Zoologist this production of the Aris-
totle of the nineteenth century, the oracle of his science, it
is far from my intention to occupy his time by attempting to
show that it is not only the best source of knowledge to which
he can refer, that of Nature herself alone excepted, but that
it is the only one from which he can be certain of obtaining
it unmingled with the grossest error—for this is universally
admitted.
Divesting himself of the prejudices arising from a blind re-
verence for authority and a habit of imitation, our author has
brought all the free energies of his powerful and penetrating
mind to the investigation of his subject. Perceiving at once
the importance of the difference between the constant and
mutable characters of animals, aware of the harmony subsist-
ing between one constant character and another, and unap-
palled by the prospect of the almost endless labour that
awaited him, he resolved to expose them with the knife; ex-
pecting by the aid of comparative anatomy to arrive at facts
which would enable him to arrange the whole animal king-
dom, from Man to the last of the Infusoria, in its natural
order. How well he has succeeded, the precision with which
he has characterized insulated and mutilated fragments of
fossil bones of extinct species, and the reconstruction of the
whole oftheir gigantic frames from a part, this book, and the
common consent of the learned of all countries, amply testify.
He has accomplished the boast of Horace, he has erected the
altars of the science in the temple of Truth, and placed its
1V REMARKS.
everlasting foundations on the unchangeable organization of
that economy it was his business to study: his monument is
imperishable-—** Hegalique situ pyramidum altius.”’
When the extent and nature of this work are taken into
consideration, it will be readily surmised that my task has been
far from an easy one; and a glance at the original is sufficient
to convince the scientific critic that such is not only the case,
but that the difficulties I have had to encounter were of no
ordinary cast. The graceful flexibility of the French lan-
guage is such as to yield to a combination of words and forms
of expression that almost bid defiance to any thing like sy-
nonymes in our more stubborn English. If this be true in
relation to the language of conversation or that of books on or-
dinary subjects, how greatly must the difficulty be increased
when we find them abounding in a work like this! Such has
been my trouble and perplexity on this account, that I may be
excused for observing, that although the necessity for making
new words cannot be denied, we should never forget that
there are but two sources from which they can be legitimately
drawn—the Latin or Greek. A word thus formed, being
universally understood, may be removed unaltered from one
language to another(1).
Previously to commencing the execution of this version, it
became indispensably requisite to fix upon some general plan
of proceeding. The absurdity of translating into English the
technical portion, or the nomenclature, was too apparent to
demand a moment’s consideration—the genius of our language
forbids it. ‘To have left these terms in French would have
been inexpedient for self-evident reasons ; and the idea of
giving a class in Latin, an order in French, &c., presented
too revolting a medley. By giving them all in Latin, the
common language of science, these objections vanished, al-
though it entailed difficulties of a different character. I have
ventured to encounter them; and while strictly adhering to
(1) For some remarks on this subject, see Count Dejean’s preface to his Spe-
cies, &c., I, p. 8.
REMARKS. Vv
the spirit, and, as far as practicable, to the very letter of my
author, have endeavoured to give to the whole work that
classical ‘¢ form and pressure” which facilitates its study and
tends to fix its great and leading points more firmly in the
memory. How far I have succeeded others must determine.
I have not forgotten that although this work is more parti-
cularly intended to be studied by the naturalist, it will proba-
bly be read by every one who has the slightest desire to ac-
quire some knowledge of the numerous and interesting groups
of animals by which Man is surrounded, and with which he
is so indissolubly connected. The general reader will lose
nothing by the concise and simple style I have endeavoured to
adopt 3 and although the meanings of the names aflixed to the
various divisions are not placed in glaring characters at their
head, he will always find it in the text.
Whenever an animal is mentioned that is generally known
by one and the same English, or vulgar name, I have always
givenits; but of the many thousands here treated of, very few
are thus circumstanced, and I cannot but think that it would
be advantageous to the science if vulgar names were totally
excluded from its nomenclature. The evidence of this 1s to
be found in the fact, that, with comparatively few exceptions,
these names vary, not only in different countries, but in dif-
ferent parts of the same country. ‘Thus the Rockfish of Phila-
delphia is a Striped-Bass at Boston; the Sheephead of Pitts-
burg (a Corvina) is a totally different fish from the one so called
in our city (a Sargus), and even belongs to a different family;
the Trout we receive from Long Branch might with equal
propriety be denominated a Shark or a Sturgeon. Different
names are sometimes attached to the same animal, and the
same name to different animals. Vulgar names are a fruitful
source of error ; and therefore I have employed them as spa-
ringly and as cautiously as possible.
An immaculate book is perhaps rather to be wished for than
expected, and that errors should have crept into the Regne
Animal is not at all surprizing. These I have endeavoured
to correct, not by erasure or altering the text (those cases al-
vi REMARKS.
ways excepted where the mistake was evidently and purely
typographical), but by a note, either on the page itself, or in
the appendix. Thus, whatever has been added, nothing has
been taken away, and the text of my author remains as I
found it. |
It was originally my intention to have made considerable
additions of American species to the Entomology, but to such
an extent has the formation of new genera and the division of
old ones lately been carried, that it would have required
more time to do this correctly than to translate the whole
book, and consequently I was compelled to abandon it. Of.
the Fishes of this country nothing can be said, until we are in
possession of the expected work of M. Lesueur.
The period in which America was compelled to look to
Europe for a knowledge of her own productions has termi-
nated; and our Wilson, Say, Ord, Le Conte, Harlan, Hentz,
Audubon, &c. &c. are repaying the debt with usury. Nor
is this spirit of observation abating. ‘The increasing number
of institutions exclusively devoted to the natural sciences, in
almost every section of our extensive country, shows the re-
verse to be the fact, and authorizes us to expect the most
splendid results from their united efforts.
I cannot conclude without acknowledging my obligations to
Major Le Conte for his valuable communications on various
portions of the Regne Animal. The results of his critical and
laborious investigations are chiefly to be found in the notes on
American birds, and the Catalogue which closes this volume,
and I have only to regret that the unfinished state of the work
on the Lepidoptera of North America, which is now being
published at Paris by him and M. Boisduval, prevented me
from employing it.
H. M’MURTRIE.
Philadelphia, June 1831.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
Havine devoted myself from my earliest youth to the stu-
dy of comparative anatomy, that is to the laws of the or-
ganization of animals and of the modifications this organiza-
tion undergoes in the various species, and having, for nearly
thirty years since, consecrated to that science every moment
of which my duties allowed me to dispose, the constant aim of
my labours has been to reduce it to general rules, and to pro-
positions which may contain their most simple expression.
My first essays soon made me perceive, that I could only
attain this in proportion as the animals, whose structure I
should have to elucidate, were arranged in conformity with
that structure, so that in one single name of class, order, genus,
&ce. might be embraced all those species which, in-their ex-
ternal as well as internal conformation, have affinities either
more general or particular. Now this is what the greater
number of naturalists of that epoch had never attempted, and
what but few of them could have effected, had they even
been willing to try, since a similar arrangement presupposes
an extensive knowledge of the structures, of which it is partly
the representation.
It is true, that Daubenton and Camper had given facts,
that Pallas had indicated views: but the ideas of these learned
men had not yet exercised upon their contemporaries the in-
fluence they merited. The only general catalogue of animals
then in existence, and the only one we possess even now, the
system of Linnzus, had just been disfigured by an unfortunate
editor, who did not even take the pains to examine the prin-
vill PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
ciples of that ingenious methodist, and who, wherever he —
found any disorder, seems to have tried to render it more in-
extricable.
It is also true, that there were very extensive works upon
particular classes, which had made known a great number of
new species ; but their authors merely considered the exter-
nal relations of those species, and no one had employed him-
self in arranging the classes and orders from the ensemble of
the structure; the characters of several classes remained false
or incomplete even in justly celebrated works of anatomy ;
some of the orders were arbitrary, and in scarcely any of these
divisions were the genera placed conformably to nature.
I was compelled then, and the task occupied a considerable
period of time, I was compelled to make anatomy and zoology,
dissection and classification, the pioneers of my steps 5 to search
for better principles of distribution in my first remarks on or-
ganization—to employ them in order to arrive at new ones,
and to render the distribution perfect—in fine, from this mu-
tual reaction of the two sciences, to elicit a system of zoology
that might serve as an introduction and a guide in anatomical
investigations, and as a body of anatomical doctrine fitted to
develope and explain the zoological system.
The first results of this double labour appeared in 1795 in
a special memoir upon a new division of the white blooded
animals. A sketch of their application to genera and to their
division in subgenera was the object of my elementary ‘‘ Ta-
bleau Elémentaire des Animaux,” printed in 1798, which, in
conjunction with M. Dumeril, I improved, in the tables an-
nexed to the first volumes of my “Lecons d’Anatomie Com-
parée” in 1800.
I should, perhaps, have contented myself with perfecting
these tables, and proceeded immediately to the publication of
my great work on anatomy, if, in the course of my researches,
I had not been frequently struck with another defect of the
greater number of the general or partial systems of zoology; I
mean the confusion in which the want of critical acumen has
left a great number of species, and even several genera.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 1X
The classes and orders were not only not sufficiently con-
formed to the intimate nature of animals to serve conve-
niently as a basis to a treatise on comparative anatomy, but
the genera themselves, although mostly better constituted,
presented but inadequate resources, on account of the species
not having been arranged under each of them, in conformity
with these characters. Thus in placing the Sea-cow (Mana-
tus, Cuv.) in the genus Morse (Trichechus, Lin.), the Siren
in that of the Eels, Gmelin had rendered any general propo-
sition relative to the organization of these two genera imposs-
ible, just as by approximating to the same class the same
order, and placing side by side the Sepia and the fresh-
water Polypus, he had made it impossible to say any thing in
general on the class and order which embraced such different
beings.
The examples above cited are selected from the most strik-
ing of these errors; but there existed an infinitude of them,
less sensible at the first glance, which presented difliculties
not less real.
It was not enough then to have imagined a new arrange-
ment of classes and orders, and to have properly placed the
genera there; it was also necessary to examine all the species
in order to be assured, whether they really belonged to the
genera in which they had been placed.
Having come to this, I found species not only grouped or
dispersed, against all semblance of reason, but I remarked
that several had not been positively determined; neither by
the characters assigned to them, nor by their figures and de-
scriptions.
Here, one of them, by means of synonymes, represents seve-
ral in one single name, and often so different from each other
that they should not be placed in the same genus; there, a
single one is doubled, trebled, and successively reappears in
several subgenera, genera, and sometimes in different orders.
What shall we say, for instance, of the Trichechus mana-
tus of Gmelin, which in one single specific name comprises
three species and two genera ; two genera, differing in almost
Vou. I.—(2)
xX PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
every thing? By what name shall we speak of the Velella,
which figures there twice among the Medusz and once among
the Holothuriz ? How are we to bring together the Biphore ;
some of which are called there Dagyse, the greater number
Salpz, and several placed among the Holothuriz.
In order, therefore, completely to attain the object, it was
not sufficient to review the species—it was necessary to re-
view their synonymes, or in other words to remodel the sys-
tem of animals.
Such an enterprise, from the prodigious development of
the science in late years, could not have been executed com-
pletely by any one individual, even supposing him to have no
other employment and to live the longest possible term of
years; had I been constrained to depend upon myself alone.
I should not have been able to prepare even the simple sketch
I now give; but the resources of my position seemed to me to
supply what I wanted both of time and talent. Living in the
midst of so many able naturalists—drawing from their works
as fast as they appeared—enjoying the use of their collec-
tions as freely as themselves—and having formed a very con-
siderable one myself especially appropriated to my object; a
great portion of my labour consisted merely in the employ-
ment of so many rich materials. It was not possible, for in-
stance, that much remained for me to do on shells studied by
M. de Lamarck, or on quadrupeds described by M. Geoffroy.
The numerous and new aflinities observed by M. de Lacé-
pede were so many traits for my system of fishes. Among so
many beautiful birds, collected from all parts of the world,
M. Le Vaillant perceived details of organization, which I im-
mediately adapted to my plan. My own researches, employed
and multiplied by other naturalists, yielded those fruits to me,
which, in my hands alone, they would not, all, have produced.
Thus, by examining, in the cabinet I have formed, the ana-
tomical preparations on which I designed to found my division
of reptiles, M. de Blainville and M. Oppel anticipated (and
perhaps better than I could have done) results of which as
yet I had but a glimpse, &c., &e.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. Xl
Encouraged by these reflections, | determined to precede
my treatise on comparative anatomy by a kind of abridged
system of animals, in which I would present their divisions
and subdivisions of all degrees, established in a parallel man-
ner upon their structure, external and internal ; where I would
give the indication of well ascertained species, which certainly
belong to each of the subdivisions, and where, to create more
interest, I would enter into some details upon such of those
species, which from their abounding in our country, the uses
to which we put them, the evils they cause us, the singularity
of their habits and economy, their extraordinary forms, their
beauty or their size, become the most remarkable.
In so doing, I hoped to prove useful to young naturalists,
who, for the most part, have but little idea of the confusion
and errors of criticism in which the most accredited works
abound, and who, in foreign countries particularly, do not
sufficiently attend to the study of the true relations of the con-
formation of beings; I considered myself as rendering a more
direct service to those anatomists, who require to know be-
forehand to what orders they should direct their researches,
when they wish to solve any problem of human anatomy or
physiology by comparative anatomy, but whose ordinary oc-
cupations do not sufficiently prepare them for fulfilling me
condition which is essential to their success.
I had no intention, however, of extending this two-fold view
to all the classes of the animal kingdom, and the Vertebrated
animals, as in every sense the most interesting, naturally
claimed a preference. .Among the Invertebrata, I had to
study more particularly the naked Mollusca and the great
Zoophytes; but the innumerable variations of the external
forms of shells and corals, the microscopic animals, and the
other families whose part, on the great theatre of nature, is
not very apparent, or whose organization affords but little
room for the use of the scalpel, did not require a similar mi-
nuteness of detail. Independently of this, so far as the shells
and corals were concerned, I could depend on the work of
Xli PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION,
M. de Lamarck, in which will be found all that the most ar-
dent thirst for knowledge can desire. .
As regards Insects, which, by their external form, organi-
zation, habits, and influence on all animated nature, are so
highly interesting, I have been fortunate enough to find assis-
tance, which, in rendering my work infinitely more perfect
than it could have possibly been had it emanated from my pen
alone, has at the same time considerably accelerated its publica-
tion. My friend and colleague M. Latreille, who has studied
these animals more profoundly than any other man in Europe,
has kindly consented to give, ina single volume, and nearly.
in the order adopted for the other parts, a summary of his
immense researches, and an abridged description of those in-
numerable genera entomologists are continually establishing.
As for the rest, if in some places I have given less extent
to the exposition of subgenera and species, all that relates to
the superior divisions and the indicia of relations, I have
founded on bases equally solid, by assiduous and universal re-
searches.
I have examined, one by one, all the species of which I
could procure specimens; I have approximated those which
merely differed from each other in size, colour, or in the
number of some parts of little importance, and have formed
them into what I denominate subgenera.
Every time it was possible, I dissected one species at least
of each subgenus, and if those be excepted to which the
scalpel cannot be applied, but very few groups of this degree
can be found in my work, of which I cannot produce some
considerable portion of the organs.
Having determined the names of the species I observed,
which had been previously either well described or well
figured, I placed in the same subgenera those I had not
seen, but whose exact figures, or descriptions, sufliciently
precise to leave no doubt remaining as to their natural rela-
tions, I found in authors; but I have passed over in silence
that great number of vague indications, on which, in my opi-
nion, naturalists have been too eager to establish species,
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. Xi
whose adoption is what has mainly contributed to introduce in
the catalogue of beings, that confusion which deprives it of so
great a portion of its utility.
I could, every where, have added great numbers of new,
species, but as I could not refer to figures it would in that
case have been necessary to extend their descriptions beyond
the bounds of my limits; I have preferred therefore depriv-
ing my work of that ornament, and have indicated those only
whose singular formation gives origin to new subgenera.
My subgenera once established on undoubted relations, and
composed of well ascertained species, nothing remained but
to construct this great scaffolding of genera, tribes, families,
orders, classes and divisions which constitute the ensemble of
the animal kingdom.
Here I have proceeded, partly by ascending from the in-
ferior to thé superior divisions, by means of approximation
and comparison, and partly by descending from the superior
to the inferior divisions, on the principle of the subordination
of characters; carefully comparing the results of the two
methods, verifying one by the other, and always sedulously
establishing the correspondence of forms, external and inter-
nal, both of which constitute integral parts of the essence of
each animal.
Such has been my mode of proceeding whenever it was ne-
cessary and possible to form new arrangements but I need
not observe, that in many places, the results to which it would
have conducted me, had been already so satisfactorily obtained,
that no other trouble was left to me than that of following the
track of my predecessors. Even in these cases, however, by
new observations I have confirmed and verified what was
previously acknowledged, and what I did not adopt until it
was subjected to a rigorous scrutiny. An idea of this mode
of examination may be obtained from the Memoirs on the ana-
tomy of the Mollusca which have appeared in the ‘* Annales
du Muséum¢”? and of which I am now preparing a separate
and augmented collection. I venture to assure the reader,
that the labour I have bestowed upon the Vertebrated animals,
XIV PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
the Annulata, the Radiata, and many of the Insects and Crus-
tacea, is equally extensive. I have not deemed it necess-
ary to publish it with the same detail; but all my prepara-
tions are exposed in the Cabinet of Comparative Anatomy in
the Jardin du Roi, and will serve hereafter for my Treatise
on Anatomy.
Another work of considerable labour, but whose proofs
cannot be made so authentic, is the critical examination of
species. I examined and verified all the figures adduced by
authors, and as often as possible referred each to its true spe-
cies, before making a choice of those I have pointed out; it is
from this verification alone, and never from the classification
of preceding methodists, that I have referred to my sub-
genera the species that belong to them. Such is the reason,
why no astonishment should be experienced on finding that
such or such a genus of Gmelin is now divided and distributed
even in different classes and divisions; that numerous nominal
species are reduced to a single one, and that vulgar names are
very differently applied.
There is not a single one of these changes that Iam not
prepared to justify, or of which the reader himself may not
obtain the proof by recurring to the sources I have indicated.
In order to diminish his trouble, I have been careful to se-
lect for each class a principal author, generally the richest in
good original figures, and I quote secondary works only in
those cases in which the former are silent, or where it was
useful to establish some comparison, for the sake of confirm-
ing synonymes. .
My subject could have been made to fill many volumes,
but I considered it my duty to condense it, by imagining
abridged meansof publication. I have obtained these by gra-
duated generalities; by never repeating for a species what
could be said of a whole subgenus, nor for a genus what might
be applied to an entire order, and so on, we arrive at the
greatest possible economy of words. ‘To this my endeavours
have been, above all, particularly directed, inasmuch as this
was the principal end of my work. It may be observed,
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. KV
however, that I have not employed many technical terms,
and that I have endeavoured to communicate my ideas with-
out that barbarous apparatus of factitious words, which, in
the works of so many modern naturalists, prove so very re-
pulsive. I cannot perceive, however, that I have thereby
lost any thing in precision or clearness.
I have been compelled, unfortunately, to introduce many
new names, although I endeavoured as far as possible to pre-
serve those of my predecessors; but the numerous subgenera
I have established required these denominations ; for in things
so various the memory is not satisfied with numerical indica-
tions. I have selected them, so as either to convey some
character, or among the common names which I have latinized,
or finally after the example of Linnzeus, from those of mytho-
logy, which are generally agreeable to the ear, and which we
are far from having exhausted.
In naming species, however, I would recommend employ-
ing the substantive of the genus, and the trivial name only.
The names of the subgenera are designed as a mere relief te
the memory, when we wish to indicate these subdivisions in
particular. Otherwise, as the subgenera, already very nu-
merous, will in the end become greatly multiplied, in con-
sequence of having substantives continually to retain, we shall
be in danger of losing the advantages of that binary nomen-
clature so happily imagined by Linneus.
it is the better to preserve it that I have dismembered,
as little as possible, the genera of that illustrious reformer of
science. Whenever the subgenera in which I divide them
were not to be translated to different families, I have left
them together under their former generic appellation. This
was not only due to the memory of Linneus, but it was ne-
cessary in order to preserve the mutual intelligence of the
naturalists of different countries.
The habit, naturally acquired in the study of natural his-
tory, of the,mental classification of a great number of ideas,
is one of the advantages of that science that is seldom observed,
and which, when it shall have been generally introduced into
XVI PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
/
the system of common education, will become, perhaps, the
principal one. By it, the student is exercised in that part of
logic which is termed method, just as he is by geometry in
that of syllogism, because natural history is the science which
requires the most precise methods, as geometry is that which
demands the most rigorous reasoning. Now this art of me-
thod, once well acquired, may be applied with infinite advan-
tage to studies the most foreign to natural history. Every dis-
cussion which supposes a classification of facts, every research
which demands a distribution of matters, is performed accord-
ing to the same laws; and he who had cultivated this science .
merely for amusement, is surprised at the facilities it affords
him in disentangling and arranging all kinds of affairs.
It is not less useful in solitude. Sufliciently extensive to
satisfy the most powerful mind, sufficiently various and inte-
resting to calm the most agitated soul, it sheds consolation in
the bosom of the unhappy, and stills the angry waves of envy
and hatred. Once elevated to the contemplation of that har-
mony of nature irresistibly regulated by Providence, how weak
and trivial appear those causes which it has been pleased to
leave dependent on the will of man! How astonishing to be-
hold so many fine minds, consuming themselves so uselessly for
their own happiness or that of others, in the pursuit of vain
combinations, whose very traces a few years suflice to sweep
away.
I avow it—these ideas have always been present to my mind,
the companions of my labours; and if I have endeavoured by
every means in my power to advance this peaceful study, it is
because, in my opinion, it is more capable than any other of
supplying that want of occupation, which has so largely con-
tributed to the troubles of our age—but I must return to my
subject.
There yet remains the task of accounting for the principal
changes I have effected in the latest received methods, and
to acknowledge the amount of .my obligations to those natu-
ralists, whose works have furnished or suggested a part of
them.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. XVI
To anticipate a remark which will naturally present itself
to many, I must observe that I have neither desired nor pre-
tended to class animals so as to form one single line, or so as
to mark their relative superiority. I even consider every at-
tempt of this kind impracticable. Thus, I do not mean that
the Mammalia or Birds which come last, are the most imper-
fect of their class; still less do I believe that the last of the
Mammalia are more perfect than the first of the Birds, the
last of the Mollusca more so than the first of the Annulata or
of the Radiata, even restraining the meaning of this vague
word perfect to that of most completely organized. I re-
gard my divisions and subdivisions as the merely graduated
expression of the resemblance of the beings which enter into
each of them, and although in some we observe a sort of de-
gradation or passage from one species to the other, which can-
not be denied, this disposition is far from being general. The
pretended chain of beings, as applied to the whole creation,
is but an erroneous application of those partial observations,
which are only true when confined to the limits within which
they were made—it has, in my opinion, proved more detri-
mental to the progress of natural history in modern times,
than it is easy to imagine.
It is in conformity with these views that I have established
my four general divisions, which have already been made
known in a separate Memoir. I still think it expresses the
real relations of animals more exactly than the old arrange-
ment of Vertebrata and Invertebrata, for the simple reason,
that the former animals have a much greater resemblance to
each other than to the latter, and that it was necessary to
mark this difference in the extent of their relations.
M. Virey, in an article of the ‘‘ Nouveau Dictionnaire d’ His-
toire Naturelle,” had already discovered a part of the basis of
this division, and principally that which reposes on the ner-
vous system.
The particular approximation of oviparous Vertebrata, in-
ter se, originated from the curious observations of M. Geoff-
roy on the composition of bony heads; and from those I have
Von. I.—(3)
Xvill PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
added to them, relative to the rest of the skeleton and to the
muscles.
In the Mammalia I have brought back the Solipedes to the
Pachydermata, and have divided the latter into families on a
new plan; the Ruminantia I have placed after the Quadru-
peds, and the Sea-cow near the Cetacea. The arrangement
of the Carnaria I have somewhat altered—the Ouistites have
been wholly separated from the Monkeys, and a sort of pa-
rallelism between the pouched animals and other digitated
Mammalia indicated ; the whole from my own anatomical re-
searches. All that I have given on the Quadrumana and the
Bats is based on the recent and profound labours of my friend
M. Geoffroy de Saint-Hilaire. ‘The researches of my bro-
ther, M. Frederick Cuvier, on the teeth of the Carnaria and
the Rodentia, have proved highly useful to me in forming ‘the
subgenera of these two orders. Notwithstanding the genera
of the late M. Illiger are but the results of these same studies,
and. those of some foreign naturalists, I have adopted his names
whenever my subgenera could be placed in his genera. I
have also adopted M. de Lacépéde’s excellent divisions of this
description, but the characters of all the degrees and all the
indications of species have been taken from nature, either in
the cabinet of anatomy, or the galleries of the Museum.
The same plan was pursued with respect to the Birds. I
have examined with the greatest care and attention more than
four thousand individuals in the Museum ; I arranged them
agreeably to my views in the public gallery more than five
years ago, and all that is said of this class has been drawn from
that source. Thus, any resemblance which my subdivisions
may bear to some recent descriptions is on my side purely
accidental(1).
(1) This observation not having been sufficiently understood abroad, I am com-
pelled to repeat it here, and openly to declare a fact witnessed by thousands in
Paris—it is this, that all the birds in the public gallery of the Museum were named
and arranged according to my system in 1811. Even such of my subdivisions
. as J had not yet named were marked by particular signs. This is my date. In-
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. X1X
Naturalists, I hope, will approve of the numerous subgenera
I have deemed it necessary to establish among the Birds of
Prey, Passerine, and Shore-Birds; they appear to me to have
completely elucidated genera hitherto involved in much con-
fusion. J have also marked, as exactly as I could, the corres-.
pondence of these subdivisions with the genera of MM. de La-
cépede, Meyer, Wolf, Temminck, Savigny, and have refer-
red to each of them all the species of which I could obtain a
very positive knowledge. ‘This laborious work will prove of
value to those who may hereafter attempt a true history of
Birds. The splendid works on Ornithology published within
a few years, and those chiefly of M. Le Vaillant, which are
filled with so many interesting observations, together with M.
Vieillot’s, have been of much assistance to me in designating
- with precision the species they represent.
The general division of this class remains as I published it
in 1798 in my ‘Tableau Elémentaire(1).”’
The general division of Reptiles, by my friend M. Brong-
niart, I have thought proper to preserve, but I have prose-
cuted very extensive and laborious anatomical investigations
to obtain my ulterior subdivisions. M. Oppel, as I have al-
ready stated, has partly taken advantage of these preparatory
labours, and whenever my genera finally agreed with his, I
have noticed the fact. The work of Daudin, indifferent as it
is, has been useful to me for indications of details, but the par-
ticular divisions I have made in the genera Monitor and
Gecko, are the product of my own observations on a great
number of Reptiles recently brought to the Museum by Messrs
Peron and Geoffroy.
My labours with regard to the Fishes will probably be found
to exceed those I have bestowed on the other vertebrated
dependently of this, my first volume was printed in the beginning of 1816. Four
volumes are not printed as quickly as a pamphlet ofa few Pee I say no more.
(Note to Ed. 1829.)
(1) I only mention this, because an amiable naturalist, M. Vieillot, ina recent work
has attributed to himself the union of the Pice with the Passeres. Thad published
it in 1798, with my other arrangements, so as to render them public in the Museum
since 1811 and 1812.
XX PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
animals. Since the publication of the celebrated work of M.
de Lacépede, the accession to our Museum of a great number
of fishes, has enabled me to add several subdivisions to those of
that learned naturalist, to form different combinations of several
species, and to multiply anatomical observations. I have also
had better means of verifying the species of Commerson and of
some other travellers, and on this point I owe much toa re-
view of the drawings of Commerson and of the dried fishes
he brought with him, by M. Dumeri!l, which have been but
very lately recovered: resources to which I added those pre-
sented to me in the fishes brought by Peron from the Indian
Ocean and Archipelago; those which I collected in the Medi-
terranean, and the coilections made on the coast of Coroman-
del by the late M. Sonnerat, at the Isle of France by M. Ma-
thieu, in the Nile and Red Sea by M. Geoffroy, &c. I was
thus enabled to verify most of the species of Bloch, Russel,
and others, and to have prepared the skeletons and viscera of
nearly all the subgenera, so that this portion of the work will,
I presume, -present to icthyologists much that is new.
As to my division of this class, I confess its inconvenience,
but I still think it more natural than any preceding one. When
I first published it, I gave it, quantum valeat, and if any one
discovers a better principle of division, and as conformable
to the organization, I shall hasten to adopt it.
It is well known that all the works, on the general division
of the Invertebrated animals, are mere modifications of what
I proposed in 1795 in the first of my memoirs; and the time
and care I have devoted to the anatomy of the Mollusca in ge-
neral, and principally to the naked Mollusca, are equally so.
The determining of this class, as well as of its divisions and
subdivisions, rests on my observations; the magnificent work
of M. Poli had alone anticipated me by descriptions and
anatomical researches, useful to me it is true, but confined to
bivalves and. multivalves only. I have verified all the facts
furnished to me by that able anatomist, and I have, I think,
more justly marked the functions of some organs. I have also
endeavoured to determine the animals to which the principal
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. XXxi
forms of shells belong, and to arrange the latter from that con-
sideration; but as to the ulterior divisions of those shells whose
animals resemble each other, I have examined them only so
far as to enable me to describe those admitted by Messrs de
Lamarck and de Montfort; even the small number of genera or
subgenera which are properly mine, are derived from observa-
tions on the animals. Inciting examples I have confined my-
self to a certain number of the species of Martini, Chemnitz,
Lister, and that only (the volume of M. de Lamarck, which
is to contain these matters, not being published), because I
was compelled to fix the attention of the reader on specific
objects. In the selection and determining of these species
however I lay no claim to the same critical accuracy I have
employed for the Vertebrated animals and the naked Mol-
lusca. ; ;
The excellent observations of Messrs Savigny, Lesueur,
and Desmarest on the compound Ascidia, approximate the
latter family of the Mollusca to certain orders of Zoophytes—
a curious relation, and an additional proof of the impractica-
bility of arranging animals on one single line.
The Annulata (the establishing of which order, although
not the name, belongs de facto to me) have I think been ex-
tricated from the confusion in which they had hitherto been
involved among the Mollusca, the Testacea, and the Zoophy-
tes, and placed in their natural order—even their genera have
been elucidated only by my observations on them, published
in the ‘¢ Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles,” and elsewhere.
I can say nothing relative to the three classes contained in
the third volume. M. Latreille, who, with the exception of
some anatomical details, founded on my own observations and
those of M. Randohr, added to his text, is its sole author,
will spare me that trouble.
As to the Zoophytes, which terminate the animal kingdom,
I have availed myself, for the Echinodermata, of the late work
of M. de Lamarck, and for the Intestinal Worms, of that of
M. Rudolphi, entitled Lxtozoa; but I have anatomized all
the genera, some of which have been determined by me only.
XX PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
Besides this, there is an excellent work of M. Tiedemann on
the anatomy of the Echinodermata that received the prize of
the Institute some years ago, that will shortly appear—it will
leave nothing unsaid with respect to these curious animals.
The Corals and the Infusoria, allowing no field for anatomical
investigations, have been briefly disposed of. ‘The new work
_ of M. de Lamarck will supply my deficiencies(1).
With respect to authors, I can only mention, here, those
who have furnished me with general views, or who were the
origin of such in my own mind(2). There are many others
to whom I am indebted for particular facts, whose names I
have carefully quoted wherever I have made use of them.
They will be found on every page of my book. Should I
have omitted to do justice to any, it must be attributed to in-
voluntary forgetfulness—no property, in my eyes, is more
sacred than the conceptions of the mind, and the custom, too
common among naturalists, of making plagiarisms by a change
of names, has always appeared to me a crime.
The publication of my Comparative Anatomy will now
occupy me every moment; the materials are ready, great
quantities of preparations and drawings are finished and ar-
ranged ; and I shall be careful in dividing the work into parts,
each of which will form a whole, so that should my physical
powers prove insufficient for the completion of the totality of
my plan, what I shall have produced will still form entire
suites, and the materials I have collected be ready for the
hand of him who may undertake the continuation of my la-
bours. ;
Jardin du Rot, 1816.
(1) I have this moment received, /’ Histoire des Polypiers coralligéenes flexibles of
M. Lamouroux, which furnishes an excellent supplement to M. Lamarck.
(2) M. de Blainville has recently published general zoological tables, which 1
regret came too late for me to profit by; having appeared when my book was nearly
printed.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
Tue preceding preface exhibits a faithful account of the
state in which I found the history of animals at the time the .
first edition of this work was published. During the twelve
years that have since elapsed, this science has made immense
progress. ‘The labours of numerous, courageous, and learned
travellers, who have explored every region of the globe, the
rich collections formed -and rendered public by various go-
vernments, the profound and splendid works where new
species are described and figured, and whose authors have
been determined to detect their mutual relations and to con-
sider them in every light(1), have all been instrumental in
producing this result. ,
I have endeavoured to avail myself of these discoveries, as
far as my plan permitted, by first studying the innumerable
specimens received at the Cabinet du Roi, and comparing
them with those which served as the basis of my first edition,
in order te deduce thence new approximations or new subdi-
visions, and then by searching in all the books I could pro-
cure for the genera or subgenera established by naturalists,
and the description of species by which they have supported
these different combinations.
The study of synonymes has become much easier now than
it was at the period of my first edition. Both French and
4
(1) See my Discourse before the Institute on the “ Progres de l’Histoire Natu-
relle depuis la paix maritime,” published in the third volume of my “ Eloges.”’
ee ee ee eee eee ee ee LL LS SL SS
i] 7
XXIV PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
foreign naturalists seem to have felt the necessity of establish-
ing divisions in those immense genera, in which such incon-
gruous species were formerly heaped together ; their groups
are now precise and well defined, their descriptions sufliciently
detailed, their figures scrupulously exact even to the most
minute characters, and very frequently of the greatest beauty.
Scarcely any difliculty remains therefore in determining the
identity of their species, and nothing hinders them from com-
ing to an understanding with respect to the nomenclature. .
This, unfortunately, has been almost neglected ; the names of
the same genera, the same species, are multiplied as often as
they are spoken of ; and should this discord continue, the same
chaos will be produced that previously existed, peel arising
from a different cause.
I have used every effort to compare and approximate these
redundancies, and forgetting even my own little interest of
author, have often given names which seem to have been form-
ed expressly to avoid being compelled to avow the borrowing
of my divisions. But in order thoroughly to execute this un-
dertaking, this pinax of the animal kingdom, which becomes
daily more and more necessary, to examine its proofs, and to fix
_ on the definite nomenclature that would be adopted, by basing
it on sufficient figures and descriptions, requires more space
than I can dispose of, and a time imperiously claimed by other
works. It is in the ‘‘ History of Fishes,” which, assisted by
M. Valenciennes, I have commenced publishing, that I intend
to give an idea of what I think might be effected with respect
to all parts of the science. ‘This is a mere abridgement, a
simple sketch—fortunate will I be if I succeed in rendering
it correct in all its parts.
Various descriptions of a similar kind have been published
on some of the classes, and I have carefully studied them all, in
order to perfect my own. The *‘ Mammalogie” of M. Desma-
rest, that of M. Lesson, the ‘‘Traité sur les Dents des Qua-
drupédes” of M. Frederick Cuvier, the English translation of
my first edition by Mr Griflith enriched by numerous additions
chiefly by Hamilton Smith, the new edition of the ‘‘ Ma-
PREFACE TO THE SECOND ED!TION. XXV
nuel d’Ornithomalogie”’ of M. Temminck, the ‘¢ Ornithological
Fragments” of M. Wagler, the ‘‘ Description of Reptiles” by
the late Merrem, and the dissertation on the same subject by
M. Fitzinger, were principally useful to me for the Vertebrated.
animals. The ‘Histoire des Animaux sans Vertebres” of M.
de Lamarck; and the «‘ Malacologie” of M. de Blainville, were
also of great use to me for the Mollusca. To these I have
added the new views and facts contained in the numerous and
learned writings of Messrs Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, father and
son, Savigny, Temminck, Lichtenstein, Kuhl, Wilson, Hors-
field, Vigors, Swainson, Gray, Ord, Say, Harlan, Charles Bo-
naparte, Lamouroux, Mitchell, Lesueur, and many other able
and studious men, whose names will be carefully mentioned,
wherever I speak of the subjects they have described.
The fine collection of engravings which have appeared
within the last twelve years, have allowed me to indicate a
ereater number of species, nor have I failed to make ample use
of the opportunity. I must particularly acknowledge what I
owe on this score, to the ‘¢ Histoire des Mammiferes”’ of MM.
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and Frederick Cuvier, the ‘‘ Planches
Coloriées’” of Messrs Temminck and Laugier, the ‘¢ Galerie des
Oiseaux’’ of M. Vieillot, the new edition of the ‘‘ Oiseaux d’ Al-
lemagne” of M. Nauman, the Birds of the United States of
Messrs Wilson, Ord, and Charles Bonaparte(1), the great
works of M. Spix and of the prince Maximilian de Wied on
the animals of Brazil, and to those of M. Ferussac on the Mol-
lusca. The plates and zoological descriptions of the travels of
Messrs Freycinet and Duperrey, given in the first by Messrs
Quoy and Gaymard, and in the second by Messrs Lesson and
Garnot, present, also, many new objects. ‘The same should
be said of the animals of Java, by M. Horsfield. ‘Though ona
smaller scale, new figures of rare species are to be found in the
<¢ Memoires du Muséum,” in the ‘¢ Annales des Sciences Natu-
relles,” in the different dictionaries of the natural sciences, in
aA. Se ee lle a Se
(1) The work of M. Audubon upon the Birds of North America, which sur-
passes all others in magnificence, was unknown to me till after the whole of that
part which treats of birds was printed.
Vou. I.—(4)
XXvi PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
the Zoological Illustrations of M. Swainson, and in the Zoolo-
gical Journal published by able naturalists in London. The
Journals of the Lyceum of New York, and of the Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, are not less precious; but in
proportion as the taste for natural history becomes extended,
and the more numerous the countries in which it is cultivated,
the number of its acquisitions increase in geometrical pro-
gression, and it becomes more and more difficult to collect all
the writings of naturalists, and to complete the table of their
results ; I rely therefore on the indulgence of those whose ob-
servations may have escaped me, or whose works I may not
have sufficiently studied.
My celebrated friend and colleague M. Latreille, as in the
first edition, having consented to take upon himself the im-
portant and difficult subject of the Crustacea, Arachnides and
Insects, will himself point out the path he has pursued; so
that on these points I need say nothing more here.
Jardin du Roi, October 1828.
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
INTRODUCTION
Of natural history
Of living beings and or-
ganization in general
Division of organized be-
ings into animals and
vegetables
Of the forms peculiar to
the organic elements of
the animal body, and
of the principal com-
binations of its chemi-
cal elements
Of the forces which act in
the animal body
Summary idea of the func-
tions and organs of the
bodies of animals, and
of their various degrees
of complication
Of the intellectual func-
tions of animals
Of method as applied to
the animal kingdom
Distribution of the ani-
mal kingdom into four
great divisions
OF THE VERTEBRATA
IN GENERAL
Subdivision of the Verte-
brata into four classes
MAMMALIA
Orders of the Mammalia
BIMANA
Man
Peculiar conforma-
tion of Man
Physical and moral
development of
; Man
11
13
A8
Varieties of the hu-
man species
QUADRUMANA
Simia
Simia proper
Pithecus
Hilobates
Cercopithecus
Semnopithecus
Macacus
Tnuus
Cynocephalus
Mandrills
Monkeys of America
Sapajous
Mycetes
Ateles
Lagothrix
Sajous
Saimiri
Sakis
Callithrix
Nocthora
Ouistitis
Midas
Lemur
Lemur proper
Indris
Loris
Galago
Tarsius
CARNARIA
CHEIROPTERA
Vespertilio
Pteropus
Cephalotes
Vespertilio proper
Molossus
Dinops
Nyctinomus
Noctilio
Phyllostoma
Megaderma
Rhinolophus
Nycteris
Rhinopoma
Ay ae ae eS”
XXVIl
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Taphozous
Mormoops
Vespertilio
Plecotus
Nycticeus
Galeopithecus
INSECTIVORA
Erinaceus
Centenes
Cladobates
Sorex
Mygale
Chrysochloris
Talpa
Condylura
Scalops
CARNIVORA
PLANTIGRADA
Ursus
Procyon
Ailurus
Ictides
Nasua
Meles
Gulo
Ratelus
DIGITIGRADA
Mustela :
Putorius
Mustela proper
Mephitis
Lutra
Canis
Canis proper
Foxes
Megalotis
Viverra
Viverra proper
Genetta
Paradoxurus
Mangusta
Ryzena
Crossarchus
Proteles
Hyena
Felis
AMPHIBIA
Phoca
Phoca proper
Stenorhynchus
Pelagus
Stemmatopus
Macrorhinus
Otaries
Trichechus
MARSUPIALIA
Didelphis
Didelphis proper
82
83
83
84
84.
84
85
85
86
87
87
88
Chironectes
Dasyurus
Thylacinus
Phascogale
Dasyurus proper
Perameles
Phalangista
Phalangista proper
Petaurus
Hypsiprymnus
Macropus
Koala
Phascolomys
RODENTIA
Sciurus
Sciurus proper
Pteromys
Cheiromys
Mus
Arctomys
Spermophilus
Myoxus
Echimys
Hydromys
Capromys
Mus proper
Gerbillus
Meriones
Cricetus
Arvicola
Fiber
Arvicola
Georychus
Otomys
Dipus
Helamys
Spalax :
Bathyergus
Geomys
Diplostoma
Castor
Myopotamus
’ Hystrix
Hystrix proper
Atherurus
Eretison
Synetheres
Lepus
Lepus proper
Lagomys
Hydrocherus
Cayia
Kerodon
Chloromys
Celogenys
EDENTATA
TARDIGRADA
Bradypus
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Acheus 160
Bradypus 161
Megatherium 162
Megalonyx 162
EpENTATA ORDINARIA 162
Dasypus 162
Cachicamus 163
Apara 163
Encoubertus 163
Cabassous 164
Priodon 164
Clamyphorus 164.
Orycteropus 165
Myrmecophaga 165
Manis 166
MonoTREMATA 167
Echidna 168
Ornithorhynchus 168
PACHYDERMATA 169
PROBOSCIDIANA 170
Elephas 171
Mastodon 172
PACHYDERMATA ORDI-
NARIA ny fs:
Hippopotamus hae
Sus 174
Sus proper 174
Phacocherus 175
Dicotyles 175
Anoplotherium 176
Rhinoceros 177
Hyrax 178
Palzeotherium 178
Lophiodon 179
Tapir 179
SOLIPEDES 180
Equus 180
RUMINANTIA 182
Without Horns.
Camelus 184
Camelus proper 184.
Auchenia 185
Moschus 185
With Horns.
Cervus 187
Camelopardalis 190
Antilope 19]
Capra 198
Ovis 199
Bos 200
CETACEA 202
HERBIVORA 203
Manatus 203
Halicore 204
Stellerus 204
ORDINARIA 204
XX1X
Delphinus 206
Delphinus proper 206
Phocena 207
Delphinapte-
rus 209
Hyperoodon 209
Monodon 210
Physeter 211
Physeter 212
Balena 212
Baleznoptera 214
Oviparous Vertebrata 215
AVES 217
ACCIPITRES 225
DIURNE 225
Vultur 226
Vultur proper 226
Cathartes 227
Percnopterus 228
Gypaetos 229
Falco 229
Nobiles 230
Falco proper 230
Hierofalco 219
Ignobiles 23
Aquila 233
Aquila proper 233
Halietus 235
Pandion 236
Circaetus 236
Harpyia 237
Morphnus 238
Cymindis 239
Astur 239
Asturproper 239
Nisus 240
Milvus 241
Milvus proper 241
Pernis 242
Buteo 242
Circus 243
Serpentarius 244,
NOCTURNE 245
Strix 245
Otus 246
Ulula 247
Strix 247
Syrnium 247
Bubo 248
Noctua 248
Scops 250
PASSERINA 251
DENTIROSTRES 252
Lanius 252
Lanius proper 252
Vanga 255
Ocypterus 255
Barita 256
Chalybeus 256
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Psaris
Graucalus
Bethylus
Falcunculus
Pardalotus
Muscicapa
Tyrannus
Muscipeta
Platyrhynchus
Muscicapa
Gymnocephalus
Chephalopterus
Ampelis
Ampelis
Tersina
Ceblepyris
Bombycilla
Procnias
Procnias pro-
per
Casmarhyn-
chus
Gymnoderus
Edolius
Phibalura
Tanagra
Bulfinch Tanagers
256
257
257
257
258
258
258
259
259
260
261
262
262
262
263
263
263
264
264
264
264
265
265
265
266
Grossbeak Tanagers 266
Tanagra proper
Oriole Tanagers
Cardinal Tanagers
266
266
266
Ramphoceline Tana-
gers
Turdus
Turdus proper
Grives
Lamprotornis
Turdoides
Grallines
Criniger
Myothera
Orthonyx
Cinclus
Philedon
Eulabes
Gracula
Manorhina
Pyrrhocorax
Oriolus
Gymnops
Menura
Motacilla
Saxicola
Sylvia
Curruca
Accentor
Regulus
Troglodytes
Motacilla
Motacilla pro-
per
267 |
267
267
268
270
270
270
270
270
272
272
273
274
274
276
276
276
277
277
278
278
279
279
282
283
284
284
284
Budytes
Anthus
Pipra
Rupicola
Calyptomenes
Pipra proper
Eurylaimus
FISSIROSTRES
Hirundo
Cypselus
Hirundo proper
Caprimulgus
Podargus
CONIROSTRES
Alauda
Parus
Parus proper
Bearded Titmouse
Remiz
Emberiza
Fringilla
Ploceus
Pyrgita
Fringilla
Carduelis
Linaria
Vidua
Coccothraustes
Pitylus
Pyrrhula
Loxia
Corythus
Colius
Buphaga
Cassicus
Cassicus proper
Icterus
Xanthornus
Oxyrhynchus
Dacnis
Sturnus
Corvus
Corvus proper
Pica
Garrulus
Caryocatactes
Temia
Glaucopis
Coracias
Coracias proper
Colaris
Paradisza
TENUIROSTRES
Sitta
Xenops
Anabates
Synallaxis
Certhia
Certhia proper
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Dendrocolaptes 315
Tichodroma 315
Nectarinia 316
Diceum 316
Melithreptus 317
i Cinnyris 317
Arachnothera 318
Trochilus 318
Trochilus proper 319
Orthorhynchus 319
Upupa 320
Fregilus 320
Upupa proper S21
Promerops 321
Epimachus 322
SYNDACTYLE 323
Merops 323
Prionites 324
Alcedo 324
Ceyx 325
Todus 325
Buceros 326
SCANSORIA 320
Galbula 327,
Galbula proper 327
Jacamerops 328
Picus 328
Picoides 330
Yunx 331
Cuculus 331
Cuculus proper 33
Couas 333
Centropus 333
Courols 333
Indicator 33
Barbacous 334
Malcoha 334
Scythrops 334
Bucco 335
Barbicans 335
Bucco proper 335
Tamatia 336
Trogon 336
Crotophaga 337
Ramphastos 337
Ramphastos proper 338
Pteroglossus 338
Psittacus 338
Ara 339
Cornurus 33
Cockatoos 340
Psittacus proper 340
Loris 341
Paittaculus 341
Péroquets a trompe 342
Pezoporus 342
Corythaix 343
Musophaga 343
XXXI1
GALLINACEZ 343
Alector 344
Alector proper 345
Ourax 345
Penelope 346
Ortalida 347
Opisthocomus 347
Pavo 347
Lophophorus 348
Meleagris 349
Numida 349
Phasianus 350
Gallus 350
Phasianus proper 351
Houppiferes 302
Tragopan 352
Cryptonyx 352
Tetrao 358
Tetrao proper 353
Lagopus 355
Ganga 355
Perdix 356
Francolinus 356
Perdix proper 356
Coturnix 357
Tridactylus 358
Turnix 358
Syrrhaptes 358
Tinamus 359
Columba 359
Columbi-gallines 360
Columba proper 360
Vinago 362
GRALLATORIA 363
BREVIPENNES 363
Struthio 364
Casuarius 365
PRESSIROSTRES 366
Otis 367
Charadrius 368
CEdicnemus 368
Charadrius proper 368
Vanellus 369
Squatarola 370
Vanellus proper 370
Hematopus 371
Cursorius 371
Cariama 372
CULTIROSTRES 372
Grus Se AS
Psophia 373
Grus proper 374
Eurypyga 373
Cancroma 375
Ardea 376
Ardea proper 376
Crabeaters 376
Onores 377.
XXX SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Egrets 377 Podiceps 403
Bitterns 377 Heliornis 404.
Night Herons 378 Mergus 404
Ciconia 378 Uria 405
Mycteria 379 Cephus 405
Scopus 380 Alca_ . 406
Hane 380 Fratercula 406
Drenine 380 Alca proper 406
Tantal = Aptenodytes 407
antalus 381 Aptenodytes proper 407
Platalea 381 Catarrhactes 407
LONGIROSTRES 382 Spheniscus 408
Scolopax 383 LONGIPENNES 408
Ibis: | 383 Procellaria 408
Numenius 384 Procellaria proper 409
Scolopax proper 385 Puffinus 410
Rhynchea 386 Halodroma 410
Limosa 387 Pachyptila 410
Calidris 387 Diomedea Alt
Arenaria 388 Larus Ata
Pelidna 388
Gakarli 389 Goelands 412
Falcinellus 389 se vs ie
Machetes 389 tercorarius 413
Eurinorhynchus 390 Sterna — A13
Phalaropus 390 Noddies 415
Strepsilas 391 Rynchops 415
Totanus 391 TOTIPALMAT 415
Lobipes 393 Pelecanus 416
Himantopus 393 Pelecanus proper 416
Recurvirostra 394 Phalacrocorax 416
MACRODACTYLI 394 Tachypetes 417
Jacana 395 Sula 417
Palamedea 396 Plotus Ake
Chauna 396 Pheeton 418
Megapodius 397 LAMELLIROSTRES 419
Rallus 398 Anas 419
Fulica 399 Cygnus 419
Gallinula 399 yee ee
Porphyto 389 OL Re oe
ae oe tee 229 Cereopsis 421
Chionis 400 Anas proper 422
Oidemia 4.25
Glareola 400 Clangula 423
Pheenicopterus 401. Somateria 4.24
PALMIPEDES 402. Rynchaspis 426
BRACHYPTERE 402 Tadorna 426°
Colymbus 403 Mergus 428
oe
+ 4
INTRODUCTION.
As correct ideas respecting natural history are not very
generally formed, it appears necessary to begin by defining
its peculiar object, and establishing rigorous limits between it
and neighbouring sciences.
In our language and in most others, the word NATURE is
variously employed. At one time it is used to express the
qualities a being derives from birth, in opposition to those it
may owe to art; at another, the entire mass of beings which
compose the universe; and at a third, the laws which govern
those beings. It is in this latter sense particularly that we
usually personify nature, and, through respect, use its name
for that of its Creator.
Physics, or Natural Philosophy, treats of the nature of these
three relations, and is either general or particular. General
physics examines abstractedly each of the properties of those
movable and extended beings we call bodies. That branch
of them styled Dynamics, considers bodies in mass; and pro-
ceeding from a very small number of experiments, determines
_ mathematically the laws of equilibrium, and those of motion
and of its communication. Its different divisions are termed
Statics, Hydrostatics, Hydrodynamics, Mechanics, &c. &c.,
according to the nature of the particular bodies whose motions
it examines. Optics considers the particular motions of light,
whose phenomena, which hitherto nothing but experiment has
been able to determine, are becoming more numerous.
Chemistry, another branch of general physics, exposes the
laws by which the aay molecules of bodies act on each
Vo. 1. —A
2 INTRODUCTION.
other; the combinations or separations which result from the
general tendency of these molecules to re-unite; and the
modifications which the various circumstances ‘capable of se-
parating or approximating them produce on that tendency. It
is purely a science of experiment, and is irreducible to calcu-
lation.
The theory of heat and that of electricity belong either to
dynamics or chemistry, according to the point of view in
which they are considered. ©
The ruling method in all the branches of general physics
consists in isolating bodies, reducing them to their greatest
simplicity, in bringing each of their properties separately into
action, either by reflection or experiment, and by observing
or calculating the results; and finally, in generalising and con-
necting the laws of these properties, so as to form codes,
and, if it were possible, to refer them to one single principle
into which they might all be resolved.
The object of Particular Physics, or of Natural History—
for the terms are synonymous—is the special application of
the laws recognised by the various branches of general phy-
sics to the numerous and varied beings which exist in nature,
in order to explain the phenomena | which each of them pre-
sents.
Within this extensive range, natebinatig also would be in-
cluded; but that science, sufficiently elucidated by mechanics,
and poinlainly subjected to its laws, employs methods, differ-
ing too widely from those required by natural history, to per-
mit it to be cultivated by the students of the latter. Fi
Natural history, then, is confined to objects which do not —
allow of exact calculation, nor of precise measurement ‘in all
their parts. Meteorology also is substracted from it and united
to general physics; so that, properly speaking, it considers only
inanimate bodies called minerals, and the different kinds of
living beings, in all of which we may observe the effects, more
or less various, of the laws of motion and chemical attraction,
and of all the other causes analysed by general physics.
Natural history, in strictness, should employ similar methods
with the general sciences; and it does so, im fact, whenever the
INTRODUCTION. 3
objects it examines are sufliciently simple to allow it. This,
however, is but very rarely the case.
An essential difference between the general sciences and
natural history is, that in the former, phenomena are examin-
ed, whose conditions are all regulated by the examiner, in
order, by their analysis, to arrive at general laws; whereas
in the latter, they take place under circumstances beyond the
control of him who studies them for the purpose of discover-
ing amid the complication, the effects of known general laws.
He is not, like the experimenter, allowed to subtract them sue-
cessively from. each condition, and to reduce the problem to
its elements—he is compelled to take it in its entireness, with
all its conditions at once, and can perform the analysis only in
thought. Suppose, for example, we attempt to insulate the
numerous phenomena which compose the life of any of the
higher orders of animals; a single one being suppressed, every
vestige of life is a thane,
Dynamics have thus nearly become a science of pure caleu-
lation; chemistry is still a science of pure experiment; and
natural history, in a great number of its branches, will long
remain one of pure observation.
These three terms sufficiently designate the methods em-
ployed in the three branches of the natural sciences; but in
establishing between them very different degrees of certitude,
they indicate, at the same time, the point to which they should
incessantly tend, in order to attain nearer and nearer to per-
fection.
Calculation, if we may so express it, thus commands nature,
and determines her phenomena more exactly than observation
can make them known; experiment compels her to unveil;
‘while observation pries into her secrets when refractory, ihe
endeavours to surprise her.
There is, however, a principle peculiar to natur al history,
which it uses with advantage on many occasions; .it is that of
the conditionsof existence, commonly styled jinal causes. As
nothing can exist without the re-union of those conditions
which render its existence possible, the component parts of
each being must be so arranged as to render possible the whole
4 INTRODUCTION.
being, not only with regard to itself but to its surrounding
relations. ‘The analysis of these conditions frequently con-
ducts us to general laws, as certain as those that are derived
from calculation or experiment.
It is only when all the laws of general physics and those
which result from the conditions of existence are exhausted,
that we are reduced to the simple laws of observation.
The most effectual method of obtaining these, is that of
comparison. ‘This consists in successively observing the same
bodies in the different positions in which nature places them, or
in a mutual comparison of different bodies; until we have
ascertained invariable relations between their structures and
the phenomena they exhibit. ‘These various bodies are kinds
of experiments ready prepared by nature, who adds to or de-
ducts from each of them different parts, just as we might wish
to do in our laboratories ; showing us, herself, at the same time
their various results.
In this way we finally succeed in establishing certain laws
by which these relations are governed, and which are em-.
ployed like those that are determined by the general sciences.
The incorporation of these laws of observation with the
general Jaws, either directly or by the principle of the con-
ditions of existence, would complete the system of the natural
sciences, in rendering sensible in all its parts the mutual in-
fluence of every being. ‘To this end, should those who culti-
vate these sciences direct all their efforts.
All researches of this nature, however, pre-suppose means
of distinguishing clearly, and causing others to distinguish, the
bodies they are occupied with; otherwise we should be con-
tinually confounding them. Natural. history then should be
based on what is called a system of natures or a great cata-
logue in which all created beings have suitable names, may be
recognised by distinctive characters, and be arranged in divi-
sions and subdivisions, themselves named and characterised,
in which they may be found.
In order that each being may be recognised in this catalogue,
it must be accompanied by its character: habits or properties
INTRODUCTION. 5
which are but momentary cannot, then, furnish characters—
they must be drawn from the conformation.
There is scarcely a single being which has a simple charac-
ter, or can be recognised by one single feature of its conforma-
tions a union of several of these traits are almost always re-
quired to distinguish one being from those that surround it,
who also have some but not all of them, or who have them
combined with others of which the first is destitute. The
more numerous the beings to be distinguished, the greater
should be the number of traits; so that to distinguish an indi-
vidual being from all others, a complete description of it should
enter into its character.
It is to avoid this inconvenience, that divisions and subdi-
visions have been invented. A certain number only of neigh-
bouring beings are compared with each other, and their cha-
racters need only to express their differences, which, by the
supposition itself, are the least part of their conformation.
Such a re-union is termed a genus.
The same inconvenience would be experienced in distin-
guishing genera from each other, were it not for the repetition
of the operation in uniting the adjoining genera, so as to form
an order, the orders to form a class, &c. Intermediate sub-
divisions may also be established.
This scaffolding of divisions, the superior of which contain
the inferior, is called a method. It isin some respects a sort of
dictionary, in which we proceed from the properties of things
to arrive at their names; being the reverse of the common
ones, in which we proceed from the name to arrive at the.
property.
When the method is good, it does more than teach us names.
If the subdivisions have not been established arbitrarily, but
are based on the true fundamental relations, on the essential
resemblances of beings, the method is the surest means of re-
ducing the properties of beings to general rules, of expressing
them in the fewest wor S and of stamping them on the me-
mory.
To render it such, we cin an assiduous comparison of
beings, directed by the principle of the subordination of cha-
6 INTRODUCTION.
racters, which is itself derived from that of the, conditions of
existence. The parts of a being possessing a mutual adapta-
tion, some traits of character exclude others, while on the
contrary, there are others that require them. When, there-
fore, we perceive such or such traits in a being, we can caleu-
late before hand those that co-exist in it, or those that are
incompatible with them. The parts, the properties, or the
traits of conformation, which have the greatest number of
these relations of incompatibility or of co-existence with others,
or, in other words, that exercise the most marked influence
upon the whole of the being, are called the amportant charac-
ters, dominating characters; the others are the subordinate
characters, all varying in degree.
This influence of characters is sometimes determined ration-
ally, by the consideration of the nature of the organ. When
this is impracticable, we have recourse to simple observations
and a sure mark by which we may recognise the important
characters, and one which is drawn from their own nature, is
their superior constancy, and that in a long series of different
beings, approximated according to their degrees of similitude,
these characters are the last to vary. That they should be
preferred for distinguishing the great divisions, and that in
proportion as we descend to the inferior subdivisions, we can
also descend to subordinate and variable characters, is a rule
resulting equally from their influence and constancy.
There can be. but one perfect method, which is the natural
method. We thus name.an arrangement in which beings of the
same genus are placed nearer to each other than to those of the
other genera; the genera of the same order nearer than those
of the other orders, &c. &c. This method is the ideal to
which natural history should tend; for it is evident that if we
can reach it, we shall have the exact and complete expression
of all nature. In fact, each being is determined by its resem-
blance to others, and difference from them; and all these rela-
tions would be fully given by the arrangement in question.
In a word, the natural method would be the whole science,
and every step towards it tends to advance the science to per-
fection. ;
INTRODUCTION. | 7
Life being the most important of all the properties of be-
ings, and the highest of all characters, it is not surprising that ,
it has in all ages been made the most general principle of dis-
tinction; and that natural beings have always been separated
into two immense divisions, the wing and the inanimate.
Of Living Beings, and Organization in general.
If, in order to obtain a correct idea of the essence of life, we
consider it in those beings in which its effects are the most
simple, we quickly perceive that it consists in the faculty pos-
sessed by certain corporeal combinations, of continuing for a
time and under a determinate form, by constantly attracting
into their composition a part of surrounding substances, and
rendering to the elements, portions of their own.
- Life then isa vortex, more or less rapid, more or less com-
plicated, the direction of which is invariable, and which always
carries along molecules of similar kinds, but into which indi-
vidual molecules are continually entering, and from which they
are continually departing; so that the form of a living body is
more essential to it than its matter.
As long as this motion subsists, the body in which it takes
place is livine—c¢ dives. When it finally ceases, 2¢ dies.
After death, the elements which compose it, abandoned to the
ordinary chemical aflinities, soon separate, from which, more
or less quickly, results the dissolution of the once living body.
It was then by the vital motion that its dissolution was arrest-
ed, and its elements were held in a temporary union.
All living bodies,die after a certain period, whose extreme
limit is fixed for each species, and death appears to be a ne-
cessary consequence of life, which, by its own action, insensi-
bly alters the structure of the body, so as to render its conti-
nuance impossible.
In fact, the living body undergoes gradual, but continual
changes, during the whole term of its existence. At first, it
increases in diensions, according to proportions, and within
limits, fixed for each species and for each one of its parts; it
then augments in density in the most of its parts:—it is this
ee ee ee a
ed
8 INTRODUCTION.
second kind of change that appears to be the cause of natural
. death.
If we examine the various living bodies more closely, we
find they possess a common structure, which a little reflection
soon causes us to perceive is essential to a vortex such as the
vital motion.
Solids, it is plain, are necessary to these bodies, for the
maintenance of their forms; and fluids for the conservation of
motion in them. ‘Their tissue, accordingly, is composed of
network and plates, or of fibres and solid lamin, within whose
interstices are contained the fluids; it is in these fluids that
the motion is most continued and extended. Foreign sub-
stances penetrate the body and unite with them; they nourish
the solids by the interposition of their molecules, and also de-
tach from them those that are superfluous. It is in a liquid
or gaseous form that the matters to be exhaled traverse the
pores of the living body; but in return, it is the solids which
contain the fluids, and by their contraction communicate to
them part of their motion.
This mutual action of the fluids and solids, this transition of
molecules, required considerable affinity in their chemical
composition ; and such is the fact—the solids of organized bo-
dies being mostly composed of elements easily convertible into
fluids or gases.
The motion of the fluids needing also a constantly repeated
action on the part of the solids, and communicating one to
them, required in the latter both flexibility and dilatability;
and accordingly we find this character nearly general in alt
organized solids.
This structure, common to all living bodies; this areolar tis-
sue, whose more or less flexible fibres or lamine intercept fluids
more or less abundant; constitutes what is called the organt-
zation. As a consequence of what we have said, it follows,
that life can be enjoyed by organized bodies only.
Organization, then, results from a great variety of arrange-
ments, which are all conditions of life; and it is easy to con-
ceive, that if its effect be to alter either of these conditions, so
INTRODUCTION, .
as to arrest even one of the partial motions of which it is com-
posed, the general movement of life must cease.
Every organized body, independently of the qualities com-
mon to its tissue, has a form peculiar to itself, not merely ge-
neral and external, but extending to the detail of the structure
of each of its parts; and it is upon this form, which determines
the particular direction of each of the partial movements that
take place in it, that depends the complication of the general
movement of its life—it constitutes its species and renders it
what itis. Each part co-operates in this general movement
by a peculiar action, and experiences from it particular effects,
so that in every being life is a whole, resulting from the mu-
tual action and re-action of all its parts.
Life, then, in general, pre-supposes organization in gene-
ral, and the life proper to each individual being pre-supposes
an organization peculiar to that being, just as the movement
of a clock pre-supposes the clock; and accordingly we behold
life only in beings that are organized and formed to enjoy it,
and all the efforts of philosophy have never been able to dis-
cover matter in the act of organization, neither per se, nor by
any external cause. In fact, life exercising upon the elements
which at every moment form part of the living body, and
upon those which it attracts to it, an action contrary to that
which, without it, would be produced by the usual chemical
affinities, it seems impossible that it can be produced by these
affinities, and yet we know of no other power in nature capa-
ble of re-uniting previously separated molecules.
The birth of organized beings is, therefore, the greatest
mystery of the organic economy and of all nature: we see
them developed, but never being formed; nay more, all those
whose origin we can trace, have at first been attached to a
body similar in form to their own, but-which was developed
before them—in a word, to a parent. So long as the offspring
has no independent existence, but participates in that of its
parent, it is called a germ. es
The place to which the germ is attached, and the cause
which detaches it’and gives it an indépendent jite; vary 3. but
Von. L.—B
10 INTRODUCTION.
this primitive adhesion to a similar being, is a rule without
exception. The separation of the germ is called generation.
Every organized being re-produces others that are similar
to itself, otherwise, death being a necessary consequence of
life, the species would become extinct.
Organized beings have even the faculty of reproducing, m
degrees varying with the species, particular parts of which
they may have been deprived—this is called the power of re-
production.
The development of organized beings is more or less rapid,
and more or less extended, as circumstances are more or less
favourable. Heat, the abundance and species of nutriment,
with other causes, exercise great influence, and this influence
may extend to the whole body in general, or to certain organs
in particular: thence arises the impossibility of a perfect
similitude between the offspring and parent.
Differences of this kind, between organized beings, form
what are termed varieties.
There is no proof, that all the differences which now dis-
tinguish organized beings, are such as may have been pro-
duced by circumstances. All that has been advanced upon
this subject is hypothetical. Experience, on the contrary, ap-
pears to prove, that, in the actual state of the globe, varieties
are confined within rather narrow limits, and go back as far
as we may, we still find those limits the same.
We are thus compelled to admit of certain forms, which,
from the origin of things, have perpetuated themselves with-
out exceeding these limits, and every being appertaining to
one or other of these forms, constitutes what is termed a spe-
cies. Varieties are accidental subdivisions of species.
Generation being the only means of ascertaining the limits
to which varieties may extend, species should be defined, the
re-union of individuals descended one from the other, or from
common parents, or from such as resemble them, as strongly
as they resemble each other. But although this definition is
strict, it will be seen that its application to particular indivi-
duals may be very diflicult, where the necéssary experiments
have not been made. :
INTRODUCTION. 11
Thus then it stands—absorption, assimilation, exhalation,
development and generation are functions common to all liv-
ing bodies; birth and death the universal limits of their exist-
ence; anareolar, contractile tissue, containing within its lamin
fluids or gases in motion, the general essence of its struc-
ture; substances almost all susceptible of conversion into fluids
or gases, and combinations capable of an easy and mutual
transformation, the basis of their chemical composition. Fixed
forms that are perpetuated by generation distinguish their
species, determine the complication of the secondary functions
proper to each of them, and assign to them the parts they are
to play on. the great stage of the universe. ‘These forms are
neither produced nor changed by their own agency—life sup-
poses their existence, its flame can only be kindled in an
organization already prepared, and the most profound medita-
tion and lynx-eyed and delicate observation can penetrate no
farther than the mystery of the pre-existence of germs.
Division of Organized Beings into Animals and Vegetables.
Living or organized beings have always been subdivided
into animate beings, that is, such as are possessed of sense and
motion, and into inanimate beings, which are deprived of
both these faculties, and are reduced to the simple faculty of
vegetating. Although the leaves of several plants shrink
from the touch, and the roots are steadily directed towards
moisture, the leaves to light and air, and though parts of
vegetables appear. to oscillate without any apparent external
cause, still these various motions have too little similarity to
those of animals, to enable us to find in them any proofs of
perception or will.
The spontaneity in the motions of animals required. essen-_
tial modifications even in their purely vegetative organs.
Their roots not penetrating the earth, it was necessary they
should be able to place within themselves a supply of aliment,
and to carry its reservoir along with them. Hence is derived
the first character of animals, or their alimentary canal, from
12 INTRODUCTION.
which their nutritive fluid penetrates all other parts through
pores or vessels, which are a kind of internal roots.
The organization of this cavity and its appurtenances re-
quired varying, according to the nature of the aliment, and
the operation it had to undergo, before it could furnish juices
fit for absorption; whilst the air and earth present to ve-
getablesnought but elaborated juices ready for absorption.
The animal, whose functions are more numerous and varied
than those of the plant, consequently necessitated an organiza-
tion much more complete; besides this, its parts not being
capable of preserving one fixed relative position, there were
no means by which external causes could produce the motion
of their fluids, which required an exemption from atmospheric
influence; from this originates the second character of animals,
their circulating system, one less essential than that of diges-
tion, since in the more simple animals it is unnecessary. ‘The
animal functions required organic systems, not needed by ve-
getables—that of the muscles for voluntary motion, and nerves
for sensibility ; and these two systems, like the rest, acting only
through the motions and transformations of the fluids, it was
necessary that these should be most numerous in animals, and
that the chemical composition of the animal body be more com-
plex than that of the plant; and so it is, for one substance more
(azote) enters into it as an essential element, whilst in plants
it is a mere accidental junction with the three other general
elements of organization, oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon.
This then is the third character of animals.
From the sun and atmosphere, vegetables receive for their
nutrition water, which is composed of oxygen and hydrogen ;
air, which contains oxygen and azote ; and carbonic acid, which
is a combination of oxygen and carbon. To extract their
own composition from these aliments, it was necessary they
should retain the hydrogen and carbon, exhale the super-
fluous oxygen and absorb little or no azote. Such, in fact, is
vegetable life, whose essential function is the exhalation of
oxygen, which is effected through the agency of light.
Animals also derive nourishment, directly or indirectly,
from the vegetable itself, in which hydrogen and carbon form
- INTRODUCTION. 13
the principal parts. To assimilate them to their own compo-
sition, they must get rid of the superabundant hydrogen and
carbon in particular, and accumulate more azote, which is
performed through the medium of respiration, by which the
oxygen of the atmosphere combines with the hydrogen and
carbon of their blood, and is exhaled with them in the form
of water and carbonic acid. ‘The azote, whatever part of the
body it may penetrate, seems always to remain there.
The relations of vegetables and animals to the surrounding
atmosphere are therefore in an inverse ratio—the former re-
ject water and carbonic acid, while the latter produce them.
The essential function of the animal body is respiration, it is
that which in a manner animalizes it, and we shall see that
the animal functions are the more completely exercised, in
proportion to the greatness of the powers of respiration pos-
sessed by the animal. This difference of relations constitutes
the fourth character of animals.
Of the forms peculiar fo the Organic Elements of the Ani-
mal Body, and of the principal combinations of its Che-
mical Elements.
An areolar tissue and three chemical elements are essential
to every living body; there is a fourth element peculiarly re-
quisite to that of an animal; but this tissue is composed of
variously formed meshes, and these elements are variously
combined.
There are three kinds of organic materials or forms of tex-
ture, the cellular membrane, the muscular fibre, and the me-
dullary matter, and to each form belongs a peculiar combina-
tion of chemical elements, as well as a particular function.
The cellular substance is composed of an infinity of small
fibres and lamin, fortuitously disposed, so as form little cells
that communicate with each other. It is a kind of sponge,
which has the same form as the body, all other parts of which
traverse or fill it, and contracting indefinitely, on the removal
of the causes of its tension. It is this power that retains the
body in a given form and within certain limits. |
H
\
|
}
|
}
14 INTRODUCTION. .
When condensed, this substance forms those laminz called
membranes ; the membranes, rolled into cylinders, form those
more or less ramified tubes named vessels ; the filaments called
fibres are resolved into it, and bones are nothing but the same
thing indurated by the accumulation of earthy particles.
The cellular substance consists of a combination well known
as gelatine, characterised by its solubility in boiling water,
and forming, when cold, a trembling jelly.
We have not yet been able to reduce the medullary matter
to its organic molecules; to the naked eye, it appears like a
sort of soft bouillie, consisting of excessively small globules; it
is not susceptible of any apparent motion, but in it resides the
admirable power of transmitting to the Me the impressions
of the external senses, and conveying to the muscles the orders
of the will. It constitutes the greater portion of the brain and
the spinal marrow, and the nerves which are distributed to all
the sentient organs are, essentially, mere fasciculi of its rami-
fications.
The fleshy or muscular fibre is a peculiar sort of filament,
whose distinctive property, during life, is that of contracting
when touched or struck, or when it experiences the action
of the will through the medium of the nerve.
The muscles, direct organs of voluntary motion, are mere
bundles of fleshy fibres. All vessels and membranes which
have any kind of compression to execute are armed with these
fibres. They are always intimately connected with nervous
threads, but those which belong to the purely vegetative func-
tions contract, without the knowledge of the mx, so that, al-
though the will is truly a means of causing the fibres to act,
it is neither general nor unique.
The fleshy fibre has for its base a particular substance
called fibrine, which is insoluble in boiling water, and which
seems naturally to assume this filamentous disposition.
The nutritive fluid or the blood, such as we find it in the
vessels of the circulation, is not only mostly resolvable into the
general elements of the animal body, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
and azote, but it also contains fibrine and gelatine, almost
prepared to contract and to assume the forms of membranes
INTRODUCTION. 15
or filaments peculiar to them, all that is ever wanted for
their manifestation being a little repose. The blood also con-
tains another combination, which is found in many animal fluids
and solids, called albwmen, whose characteristic property is —
that of coagulating in boiling water. Besides these, the blood
contains almost every element which may enter into the com-
position of the body of each animal, such as the dime and
phosphorus which harden the bones of vertebrated animals,
the iron from which it and various other parts receive their
colour, the fat or animal oil which is deposited in the cellular
substance to supple it, &e. All the fluids and solids of the
animal body are composed of chemical elements found in the
blood, and it is only by possessing a few elements more or
less, that each of them is distinguished; whence it is plain, that
their formation entirely depends on the subtraction of the
whole or part of one or more elements of the blood, and in
some few cases, on the addition of some element from else-
where.
These operations, by which the blood nourishes the fluid or
solid matter of all parts of the body, may assume the general
name of secretions. This name, however, is often appropriated
exclusively to the production of liquids; while that of natri-
tion is more especially applied to the formation and deposition
of the matter necessary to the growth and conservation of the
solids.
The composition of every solid organ, of every fluid is pre-
cisely such as fits it for the part it is to play, and it preserves
it as long as health remains, because the blood renews it as
fast as it becomes changed. The blood itself by this continued
contribution is changed every moment, but is restored by di-
gestion, which renews its matter by respiration, which delivers
it from superfluous carbon and hydrogen, by perspiration and
various other excretions, that relieve it from other AUD ETEUUR
dant principles.
These perpetual changes of chemical composition form a
part of the vital vortex, not less essential than the visible
movements and those of translation. The object of the latter
is, in fact, but to produce the former.
16 INTRODUCTION.
Of the forces which act in the Animal Body.
The muscular fibre is not only the organ of voluntary mo-
tion, for we have just seen that it is also the most powerful of
the agents employed by nature to produce those transmutations
so necessary to vegetative life. Thus the fibres of the intes-
tines produce the peristaltic motion, which causes the alimen-
tary matter therein contained to pass through them; the fibres
of the heart and arteries are the agents of the circulation and
through it of all the secretions, &c.
Volition contracts the fibre through the medium of the
nerve; and the involuntary fibres, such as those we have men-
tioned, being also animated by them, it is probable that these
nerves are the cause of their contraction.
All contraction, and generally speaking, every change of
dimension in nature, is produced by a change of chemical
composition, though it consist merely in the flowing or ebbing
of an imponderable fluid, such as caloric; thus also are pro-
duced the most violent movements known upon earth, explo-
sions, &c. )
There is, consequently, good reason to suppose that the
nerve acts upon the fibre through the medium of an impon-
derable fluid, and the more so, as it is proved that this action
is not mechanical.
The medullary matter of the whole nervous system is ho-
mogeneous, and must be able to exercise its peculiar func-
tions wherever it is found; all its ramifications are abundantly
supplied with blood vessels.
All the animal fluids bemg drawn from the blood by secre-
tion, we can have no doubt that such is the case with the ner-
vous fluid, and that the medullary matter secretes it.
On the other hand, it is certain that the medullary matter
is the sole conductor of the nervous fluid; all the other or-
- ganic elements restrain.and arrest it, as glass arrests electri-
city. R
The external causes which are capable of producing sensa-
tions or causing contractions of the fibre are all chemical
INTRODUCTION. ef
agents, capable of effecting decompositions, such as light,
caloric, the salts, odorous vapours, percussion, compression,
&e. &e.
It would appear then that these causes act on the nervous
fluid chemically, and by changing its composition; this ap-
pears the more likely, as their action becomes weakened by
continuance, as if the nervous fluid needed the resumption of
its primitive composition, to fit it for a fresh alteration.
The external organs of the senses may be compared. to
sieves, which allow nothing to pass through to the nerve; ex-
cept that species of agent which should affect it in that par-
ticular place, but which often accumulates it so as to increase
its effect. The tongue has its spongy papillae which imbibe
saline solutions; the ear, a gelatinous pulp which is violently
agitated by sonorous vibrations; the eye, transparent lenses
which concentrate the rays of light, &c. &c.
It is probable, that what are styled irritants, or the agents
which occasion the contractions of the fibre, exert this ac-
tion by producing on the fibre, by the nerve, a similar effect
to that produced on it by the will; that is, by altering the ner-
vous fluid, in the way that is requisite to change the dimen-
sions of the fibre which it influences: but with this process
the will has nothing to do, and very often the ME is entirely
ignorant of it. The muscles separated from the body pre-
serve their susceptibility of irritation, as long as the portion
of the nerve that remains with them preserves the power of
acting on them—with this phenomenon the will has evidently
no connexion.
The nervous fluid is altered by muscular irritation, as well
as by sensibility and voluntary motion, and the same necessity
exists for the re-establishment of its primitive composition.
The transmutations necessary to vegetable life are occasioned
by irritants; the aliment irritates the intestine, the blood irri-
tates the heart, &c. These movements are all independent
of the will, apd generally (while in health) take place without
the knowledge of the mE; in several par ts, the nerves that
produce them are even differently arranged from those that
are appropriated to sensation or dependent on the will, and
Vou. 1.—C
a I ee ee
SS ER.
ee
ee:
rs
18 INTRODUCTION.
the very object of this difference appears to be the securing
of this independence.
The nervous functions, that is, sensibility and muscular ir-
ritability, are so much the stronger at every point, in pro-
portion as their exciting cause is abundant; and as this cause
or the nervous fluid is produced by secretion, its abundance
must be in proportion to the quantity of medullary or secre-
tory matter, and the amount of blood received by the latter.
In animals that have a circulating system, the blood is pro-
pelled through the arteries which convey it to its destined
parts, by means of their irritability and that of the heart. If
these arteries be irritated, they act more strongly, and pro-
pel a greater quantity of blood; the nervous fluid becomes
more abundant and augments the local sensibility; this, in its
turn, augments the irritability of the arteries, so that this mu-
tual action may sometimes be carried to a great extent. It is
called orgasm, and when it becomes painful and permanent,
inflammation. The irritation may also originate in the nerve
when exposed to the influence of acute sensations.
This mutual influence of the nerves and fibres, either in-
testinal or arterial, is the real spring of vegetative life in ani-
mals.
As each external sense is permeable only by such or such
sensible substances, so each internal organ may be accessible
only to this or that agent of irritation. Thus, mercury irri-
tates the salivary glands, cantharides irritate the bladder, &c.
These agents are called specifics.
The nervous system being homogeneous and continuous,
local sensations and irritation debilitate the whole, and each
function, by excessive action, may weaken the others. Ex-
cess of aliment weakens the power of thought, while long con-
tinued meditation impairs that of digestion, Cc.
Excessive local irritation will enfeeble the whole body, as
if all the powers of life were concentrated in one single point.
A second irritation produced at another part may diminish,
or divert, as it is termed, the first: such is the effect of blis-
ters, purgatives, &e. bah hs
Brief as our sketch has been, it is’suflicient to establish the
INTRODUCTION. 19
possibility of accounting for all the phenomena of physical life,
from the properties it presents, by the simple admission of a
fluid such as we have defined.
Summary idea of the Functions and Organs of the Bodies of
Animals, and of their various degrees of Complication.
After what we have stated respecting the organic elements
of the body, its chemical principles and acting powers, no-
thing remains but to give a summary idea of the functions of
which life is composed, and of their appropriate organs.
The functions of the animal body are divided into two
classes :
The animal functions, or those proper to at that is to
say, sensibility and voluntary motion.
The vital, vegetative functions, or those common to animals
and vegetables, i. e., nutrition and generation.
Sensibility resides in the nervous system.
The most general external sense is that of touch; it is seated
in the skin, a membrane that envelopes the whole body, which
is traversed in every direction by nerves whose extreme fila-
ments expand on the surface into papille, and are protected
by the epidermis and other insensible teguments, such as hairs,
scales, &c. &c. ‘Taste and smell are merely delicate states of
the sense of touch, for which the skin of the mouth and nos-
trils is particularly organized: the first, by means of papill
more convex and spongy; the second, by its extreme delicacy
and the multiplication of its ever humid surface. We have
already spoken of the ear and the eye. ‘The organ of gene-
ration is endowed with a sixth sense, seated in its internal
skin; that of the stomach and intestines declares the state of
those viscera by peculiar sensations. In fine, sensations more
or less painful may originate in every part of the body
through accident or disease.
Many animals have neither ears nor nostrils, several are
without eyes, and some are reduced to the single sense of
touch, which is never absent.
20 INTRODUGTION.
The action received by the external organs is continued by
the nerves to the central masses of the nervous system, which,
in the higher animals, consists of the brain and spinal mar-
row. ‘The more elevated the nature of the animal, the more
voluminous is the brain and the more is the sensitive power
concentrated there; the lower the animal, the more the me-
dullary masses are dispersed, and in the most imperfect genera,
the entire nervous substance seems to melt into the general
matter of the body.
That part of the body which contains the brain and princi-
pal organs of sense, is called the head. j
When the animal has received a sensation, and this has oc-
casioned volition: it is by the nerves, also, that this volition is
transmitted to the muscles.
The muscles are bundles of fleshy fibres whose contractions
produce all the movements of the animal body. ‘The exten-
sion of the limbs and every elongation, as well as every flexion
and abbreviation of parts, are the effects of muscular contrac-
tion. The muscles of every animal are arranged, both as re-
spects number and direction, according to the movements it
has to make; and when these motions require force, the
muscles are inserted into hard parts, articulated one over an-
other, and may be considered as so many levers. These parts
are called bones in the vertebrated animals, where they are in-
ternal, and are formed of a gelatinous mass, penetrated by par-
ticles of phosphate of lime. In the Mollusca, the Crustacea,
and Insects, where they are external, and composed of a cal-
careous or horny substance that exudes between the skin and
epidermis, they are called shells, crusts and scales.
The fleshy fibres are attached to the hard parts by means
of other fibres of a gelatinous nature, which seem to be a con-
tinuation of the former, constituting what are called tendons.
The configuration of the articulating surfaces of the hard
parts limits their motion, which are also restrained by cords or
envelopes, attached to the sides of the articulations, called
ligaments.
It is from the various arrangements of this bony and mus-
cular apparatus, and the form and proportion of the members
INTRODUCTION. 21
therefrom resulting, that animals are capable of executing the
innumerable movements that enter into walking and leaping,
flight and natation.
The muscular fibres, appropriated to digestion and the cir-
culation, are independent of the will; they receive nerves,
however, but the chief of them are subdivided and arranged
in a manner which seems to have for its object their indepen-
dence of the me. It is only in paroxysms of the passions and
other powerful affections of the soul, which break down these
barriers, that the empire of the mx is perceptible, and even
then it is almost always to disorder these vegetative functions.
It is, also, in a state of sickness only that these functions are
accompanied with sensations: digestion is usually performed
unconsciously.
The aliment divided by the jaws and teeth, or sucked up
when liquids constitute the food, is swallowed by the muscu-
lar movements of the hinder parts of the mouth and throat,
and deposited in the first portions of the alimentary canal that
is usually expanded into one or more stomachs; there it is
penetrated with juices fitted to dissolve it. Passing thence
through the rest of the canal, it receives other juices destined
to complete its preparation. ‘The parietes of the canal are
pierced with pores which extract from this alimentary mass
its nutritious portion; the useless residuum is rejected as ex-
crement.
The canal in which this first act of nutrition is performed,
is a continuation of the skin, and is composed of similar lay-
ers; even the fibres that encircle it are analogous to those
which adhere to the internal surface of the skin, called the
fleshy pannicle. Throughout the whole interior of this canal
there is a transudation which has some connexion with the cu-
taneous perspiration, and which becomes more abundant when
the latter is suppressed; the absorption of the skin is even
very analogous to that of the intestines. It is in the lowest
order of animals that the excrements are rejected by the
mouth, their intestines resembling a sac, with but the one
opening.
Even among those where the intestinal canal has two ori-
a al tar a a a a
22 INTRODUCTION.
fices, there are many in which the nutritive juices being ab-
sorbed by the parietes of the intestine, are immediately dif-
fused throughout the whole spongy substance of the body:
such, it would appear, is the case with all Insects. But from
the Arachnoides and Worms upwards, the nutritive fluid circu-
lates in a system of closed vessels, whose ultimate ramifications
alone dispense its molecules to the parts that are nourished by
it; the vessels that convey it are called arteries, those that
bring it back to the centre of the circulation, veins. The
circulating vortex is here simple, and there double and even
triple (including that of the vena porte); the rapidity of. its
motion is often assisted by the contractions of a certain fleshy
apparatus called a heart, which is placed at one or the other
centres of circulation, and sometimes at both of them.
In the red-blooded vertebrated animals, the nutritive fluid
exudes from the intestines, white or transparent, and is then
termed chyle; it is poured into the veins where it mingles
with the blood, by two peculiar vessels called lacteals. Ves-
sels similar to these lacteals, and forming with them an arrange-
ment called the lymphatic system, also convey to the venous
blood the residue of the nutrition of the parts and the pro-
ducts of cutaneous absorption.
Before the blood is fit to nourish the parts, it must expe-
rience from the circumambient element the modification of
which we have previously spoken. In animals possessing a
circulating system, one portion of the vessels is destined to
carry the blood into organs in which they spread it over a
great surface to obtain an increase of this elemental influence.
When that element is air, the surface is hollow, and is called
lungs; when it is water, it is salient, and is termed branchiz.
There is always an arrangement of the organs of motion for
the purpose of propelling the element into, or upon, the organ
of respiration.
In animals destitute of a circulating system, air is diffused
through every part of the body by elastic vessels called tra-
chez ; or water acts upon them, either by penetrating through
vessels, or by simply bathing the surface of the skin. The
respired, or purified blood is properly qualified for restoring
INTRODUCTION. 23
the composition of all the parts, and to effect what is properly
called nutrition. This facility, which the blood possesses, of
decomposing itself at every point, so as to leave there the
precise kind of molecule necessary, is indeed wonderful; but
it is this wonder which constitutes the whole vegetative life.
For the nourishment of the solids we see no cther arrangement
than a great subdivision of the extreme arterial ramifications,
but for the production of fluids the apparatus is more complex
and various. Sometimes the extremities of the vessels simply
spread themselves over large’ surfaces, whence the produced
fluid exhales; at others it oozes from the bottom of little cavi-
ties. Before these arterial extremities change into veins, they
most commonly give rise to particular vessels that convey this
fluid, which appears to proceed from the exact point of union
between the two kinds of vessels; in this case the blood ves-
sels and these latter form, by interlacing, particular bodies call-
ed conglomerate or secretory glands.
Tn animals that have no circulation, in Insects particularly,
the parts are all bathed in the nutritive fluid: each of these
parts draws from it what it requires, and if the production of
a liquid be necessary, proper vessels floating in the fluid take
up by their pores the constituent elements of that liquid.
It is thus that the blood incessantly supports the composi-
tion of all the parts, and repairs the injuries arising from those
changes which are the continual and necessary consequences
of their functions. ‘The general ideas we form with respect
to this process are tolerably clear, although we have no dis-
tinct or detailed notion of what passes at each point, and for
want of knowing the chemical composition of each part with
suflicient precision, we cannot render an exact account of the
transmutations necessary to effect it. ‘
Besides the glands which separate from the blood those
fluids that are destined for the internal economy, there are
some which detach others from it that are to be totally eject-
ed, either as superfluous—the urine, for instance, which is
produced by the kidneys; or for some use to the animal, as the
ink of the cuttle-fish, and the purple matter of various mol-
lusca, &e.
24 INTRODUCTION.
With respect to generation, there is a process or phenome-
non, infinitely more difficult to comprehend than that of the
secretions—the production of the germ. We have even seen
that it is to be considered as almost incomprehensible; but the
existence of the germ being admitted, generation presents no
particular difficulties. As long as it adheres to the parent, it
is nourished as if it were one of its organs, and when it de-
taches itself, it possesses its own life, which is essentially simi-
Jar to that of the adult. |
The germ, the embryo, the fetus, and the new-born ani-
mal have never, however, exactly the same form as the adult,
and the difference is sometimes so great, that their assimilation
has been termed a metamorphosis. ‘Thus, no one not previ-
ously aware of the fact would suppose that the caterpillar is
to become a butterfly.
Every living being is more or less metamorphosed in the
course of its growth; that is, it loses certain parts, and deve-
lopes others. The antenne, wings, and all the parts of the
butterfly were enclosed beneath the skin of the caterpillar;
this skin vanishes along with the jaws, feet, and other organs,
that do not remain with the butterfly. The feet of the frog
are enclosed by the skin of the tadpole; and the tadpole, to
become a frog, parts with its tail, mouth, and branchie. The
child, at birth, loses its placenta and membranes; at a certain
period its thymus gland nearly disappears, and it gradually
acquires hair, teeth, and beard; the relative size of its organs
is altered, and its body augments in a greater ratio than its
head, the head more than the internal ear, &c.
The place where these germs are found, and their germs
themselves are collectively styled the ovary; the canal through
which, when detached, they are carried into the uterus, the
oviduct; the cavity in which, in many species, they are com-
pelled to remain for a longer or shorter period previous to
birth, the azferus ; and the external orifice through which they
pass into the world, the vulva. Where there are sexes, the
male impregnates, the germs appearing in the female. The
fecundating liquor is called semen; the glands that separate
INTRODUCTION. 29
it.from the blood, fesfes; and. when it is requisite it should be
carried into the body of the female, the introductory organ is
named a penis.
Of the Intellectual Functions of Animals.
The impression of external objects upon the Meg, the produc-
tion of a sensation or of an image, is a mystery into which the
human understanding cannot penetrate ; and materialism an
hypothesis, so much the more conjectual, as philosophy can
furnish no direct proof of the actual existence of matter. The
naturalist, however, should examine what appear to be the
material conditions of sensation, trace the ulterior operations
of the mind, ascertain to what point they reach in each being,
and assure himself whether they are not subject to conditions
of perfection, dependent on the organization of each species,
or on the momentary state of each individual body.
To enable the Me to perceive, there must be an uninter-
rupted communication between the external sense and the
central masses of the medullary system. It is then the modi-
fication only experienced by these masses that the ME per-
ceives: there may also be real sensations, without the exter-
nal organ being affected, and which originate either in the
nervous chain of communication, or in the central mass itself;
such are dreams and visions, or certain accidental sensations.
By central masses, we mean a part of the nervous system,
that is so much the more cireumscribed, as the animal is more
perfect. In man, it consists exelusively of a limited portion
of the brain; but in reptiles, it includes the brain and the
whole of the medulla, and of each of their parts taken sepa-_
rately, so that the absence of the entire brain does not pre-
vent sensation. In the inferior classes this extension is still
greater.
The perception acquired by the mm, produces the image of
the sensation exper ienced. We trace to without the cause of
that sensation, and thus acquire the idea of the object that has
produced it. By a necessary law of our intelligence, all ideas
of material objects are in time and space.
Vou. I.—D
ee
26 INTRODUCTION,
The modifications experienced by the medullary masses
leave impressions there which are reproduced, and thus re-
cal to the mind images and ideas; this is memory, a corporeal
faculty that varies greatly, according to the age and health of
the animal.
Similar ideas, or such as have been acquired at the same
time, recal each other; this is the association of ideas. ‘The
order, extent and quickness of this association constitute the
perfection of memory.
Every object presents itself to the memory with all its quali-
ties or with all its accessary ideas.
Intelligence has the power of separating these accessary
ideas of objects, and of combining those that are alike in
several different objects under a general idea; the object of
which no where really exists, nor presents itself per se—this-
is abstraction.
Every sensation being more or less agreeable or disagree-
able, experience and repeated essays soon show what move-
ments are required to procure the one and avoid the other;
and with respect to this, the intelligence abstracts itself from
the general rules to direct the wd.
An agreeable sensation being liable to consequences that are
not so, and vice versa, the subsequent sensations become asso-
ciated with the idea of the primitive one, and modify the
general rules framed by intelligence—this is prudence.
From the application of these rules to general ideas, result
certain formule, which are afterwards easily adapted to par-
ticular cases—this is called reasoning.
A lively remembrance of primitive and associated sensations,
and of the impressions of pleasure or pain that belong to them,
constitutes wnagination.
One privileged being, MAN, has the faculty of associating
his general ideas with particular images more or less arbitrary,
easily impressed upon the memory, and which serve to recal
the general ideas they represent. ‘These associated images
are styled signs; their assemblage is a language. When the
language is composed of images that relate to the sense of
hearing or of sounds, it is termed speech, and when relative
INTRODUCTION. 27
to that of sight, hieroglyphics. Writing isa suite of images
that relates to the sense of sight, by which we represent the
elementary sounds; and by combining them, all the images
relative to the sense of hearing of which speech is composed ;
it is therefore only a mediate representation of ideas.
This faculty of representing general ideas by particular
signs or images associated with them, enables us to retain dis-
tinctly, and to remember without embarrassment, an im-
mense number; and furnishes to the reasoning faculty and
the imagination innumerable materials, and to individuals
means of communication, which cause the whole species to
participate in the experience of each individual, so that no
bounds seem to be placed to the acquisition of knowledge; it
is the distinguishing character of human intelligence.
Although, with respect to the intellectual faculties, the most
perfect animals are infinitely beneath man; it is certain that
their intelligence performs operations of the same kind. They
move in consequence of sensations received, are susceptible of
durable affections, and acquire by experience a certain know-
ledge of things, by which they are governed independently of
actual pain or pleasure, and by the simple foresight of conse-
quences. When domesticated, they feel their subordination,
know that the being who punishes them may refrain from so
doing if he will, and when sensible of having done wrong, or
behold him angry, they assume a suppliant and deprecating
air. In the society of man they become either corrupted or
improved, and are susceptible of emulation and jealousy: they
have among themselves a natural language, which, it is true,
is merely the expression of their momentary sensations, but
man teaches them to understand another, much more compli-
cated, by which he makes known to them his will, and causes
them to execute it.
' To sum up all, we perceive in the higher animals a certain
degree of reason, with all its consequences, good and bad, and
which appears to be about the same as that of children ere they
have learned to speak. ‘he lower we descend from man the
weaker these faculties become, and at the bottom of the scale
we find them reduced to signs (at times equivocal) of sensibi-
28 INTRODUCTION.
lity, that is, to some few slight movements to escape from pain.
Between these two extremes, the degrees are infinite.
In a great number of animals, however, there exists another
kind of intelligence, called instinct. ‘This induces them to
certain actions necessary to the preservation of the species,
but very often altogether foreign to the apparent wants of the
individual; often also very complicated, and which, if attri-
. buted to intelligence, would suppose a foresight and know-
ledge in the species that perform them infinitely superior to
what can possibly be granted. ‘These actions, the result of
instinct, are not the effect of imitation, for very frequently the
individuals who execute them have never seen them perform-
ed by others: they are not proportioned to ordinary intelli-
gence, but become more singular, more wise, more disinterest-
ed, in proportion as the animals belong to less elevated classes,
and in all the rest of their actions are more dull and stupid.
They are so entirely the property. of the species, that all its
individuals perform them in the same way without ever im-
proving them a particle.
The working bees, for instance, have always constructed
very ingenious edifices, agreeably to the rules of the highest
geometry, and destined to lodge and nourish a posterity not
even their own. The solitary bee, and the wasp also, form
highly complicated nests, in which to deposit their eggs.
From this egg comes a worm, which has never seen its parent,
which is ignorant of the structure of the prison in which it is
confined, but which, once metamorphosed, constructs another
precisely similar.
The only method of obtaining a clear idea of instinct, is by
admitting the existence of mnate and perpetual images or
sensations in the sensorium which cause the animal to act in
the same way as ordinary or accidental sensations usually do.
It is a kind of perpetual vision or dream that always pursues
it, and it may be considered, in all that has relation to its in-
stinct, as a kind of somnambulism.
Instinct has been granted to animals as a supplement to in-
telligence, to coneur with it, and with strength and fecundity,
in the preservation, to a proper degree, of each species.
INTRODUCTION. 29
There is no visible mark of instinct im the conformation of
the animal, but, as well as it can be ascertained, the intelligence
is always in proportion to the relative size of the brain, and
particularly of its hemispheres.
Of Method, as applied to the Animal Kingdom.
From what has been stated with respect to methods in ge-
neral, we have now to ascertain what are the essential charac-
ters in animals, on which their primary divisions are to be
founded. It is evident they should be those which are drawn
from the animal functions, that is from the sensations, and mo-
tions; for both these not only make the being an animal, but in
a manner establish its degree of animality.
Observation confirms this position by showing that their
degrees of development and complication accord with those of
the organs of the vegetative functions.
The heart and the organs of the circulation form a kind of
centre for the vegetative functions, as the brain and the trunk
of the nervous system do for the animal ones. Now we see
these two systems become imperfect and disappear together.
In the lowest class of animals, where the nerves cease to be
visible, the fibres are no longer distinct, and the organs of
digestion are simple excavations in the honogeneous mass of
the body. In insects the vascular system even disappears
before the nervous one; but, in general, the dispersion of the
medullary masses accompanies that of the muscular agents: a
spinal marrow, on which the knots or ganglions represent so
many brains, corresponds to a body divided into numerous
rings, supported by pairs of limbs longitudinally distributed,
&e.
This correspondence of general forms, which results from
the arrangement of the organs of motion, the distribution of the
nervous masses, and the energy of the circulating system,
should then beithe basis of the primary divisions of the animal
kingdom. We will afterwards ascertain, in each of these
divisions, what characters should succeed immediately to those,
and form the basis of the primary subdivisions.
30 INTRODUCTION.
General distribution of the Animal Kingdom into Four Great
Divisions.
If, divesting ourselves of the prejudices founded on the
divisions formerly admitted, we consider only the organization
and nature of animals, without regard to their size, utility,
the greater or less knowledge we have of them, and other ac-
cessary circumstances, we shall find there are four principal
forms, four general plans, if it may be so expressed, on which
all animals seem to have been modelled, and whose ulterior
divisions, whatever be the titles with which naturalists have
decorated them, are merely slight modifications, founded on
the development or addition of certain parts, which produce
no essential change in the plan itself.
In the first of these forms, which is that of man, and of the
animals most nearly resembling him, the brain and principal
trunk of the nervous system are enclosed in a bony envelope,
formed by the cranium and vertebre; to the sides of this in-
termedial column are attached the ribs, and bones of the
limbs, which form the frame work of the body; the muscles
generally cover the bones, whose motions they occasion, while
the viscera are contained within the head and trunk. Ani-
mals of this form we shall denominate
Animalia Vertebrata.
They have, all, red blood, a muscular heart, a mouth fur-
nished with two jaws situated either above or before each
other, distinct organs of sight, hearing, smell and taste placed
in the cavities of the face, never more than four limbs, the
sexes always separated, and a very similar distribution of the
medullary masses and the principal branches of the nervous
system.
By a closer examination of each of the parts of this great
series of animals, we always discover some analogy, even in
species the most remote from each other; and may trace the
gradations of one same plan from man to the last of the fishes.
In the second form there is no skeleton; the muscles are
*
INTRODUCTION. ro
merely attached to the skin, which constitutes a soft contrac-
tile envelope, in which, in many species, are formed stony
plates, called shells, whose position and production are ana-
logous to those of the mucous body. ‘The nervous system is
contained within this general envelope along with the viscera,
and is composed of several scattered masses connected by ner-
vous filaments; the. chief of these masses is placed on the
cesophagus, and is called the brain. Of the four senses, the
organs of two only are observable, those of taste and sight, the
latter of which are even frequently wanting. One single
family alone presents organs of hearing. ‘There is always,
however, a complete system of circulation, and particular or-
gans for respiration. Those of digestion and secretion are
nearly as complex as in the vertebrata. We will distinguish
the animals of this second form by the appellation of
Animalia Mollusca.
Although, as respects the external configuration of the
parts, the general plan of their organization is not as uniform
as that of the vertebratas there is always an equal degree of
resemblance between them in the structure and the functions.
The third form is that remarked in worms, insects, &c.
Their nervous system consists of two long cords, running lon-
gitudinally through the abdomen, dilated at intervals into
knots or ganglions, ‘The first of these knots, placed over the
cesophagus, and called brain, is scarcely any larger than those
that are along the abdomen, with which they communicate by
filaments that encircle the csophagus like a necklace. ‘The
covering or envelope of the body is divided by transverse
folds into a certain number of rings, whose teguments are
sometimes soft, and sometimes hard; the muscles, however,
being always situated internally. Articulated limbs are fre-
quently attached to the trunk ; but very often there are none.
We will call these animals
Animala Articulata,
Or articulated animals, in which is observed the transition
32 INTRODUCTION.
from the circulation in closed vessels to nutrition by imbibi-
tion, and the corresponding one of respiration in circumscribed
organs, to that effected by trachex or air-vessels distributed
throughout the body. In them, the organs of taste and sight
are the most distinct; one single family alone presenting that
of hearing. Their jaws, when they have any, are always
lateral. |
The fourth form, which embraces all those animals known
by the name of zoophytes, may also properly be denominated
Animalia Radiata,
Or radiated animals. We have seen that the organs of
sense and motion in all the preceding ones are symmetrically
arranged on the two sides of an axis. There is a posterior
and anterior dissimilar face. In this last division, they are
disposed like rays round a centre; and this is the case even
when they consist of but two series, for then the two faces
are similar. ‘They approximate to the homogeneity of plants,
having no very distinct nervous system or particular organs of
sense; in some of them, it is even diflicult to discover a ves-
tige of circulation; their respiratory organs are almost univer-
sally seated on the surface of the body, the intestine in the
greater number is a mere sac without issue, and the lowest of
the series are nothing but a sort of homogeneous pulp, endow-
ed with motion and sensibility.(1)
(1) Before my time, modern naturalists divided all invertebrated animals into
two classes, Insects and Worms. I was the first who attacked this method ; and
ina memoir read before the Society of Natural History of Paris on the 10th of
May 1795, and printed in the Decade Philosophique, I presented a new division,
in which I marked the characters and limits of the Mollusca, Crustacea, Insects
and Worms, Echinodermata and Zoophytes. In a memoir read before the Insti-
tute on the 3lst of December 1801, Lascertained the red-blooded worms or Anne-
lides. And finally, in a memoir read before the Institute in July 1812, and printed
in the Annales du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, tome xix, I distributed these
various classes in three divisions, each of which is analogous to a branch of the
vertebrata.
FIRST GREAT DIVISION OF THE ANIMAL
KINGDOM.
ANIMALIA VERTEBRATA.
The bodies and limbs of vertebrated animals being sup-
ported by a frame-work or skeleton composed of connected
pieces that are movable upon each other, their motions are
certain and vigorous. ‘The solidity of this support enables
them to attain considerable size, and it is among them that
the largest animals are found.
The great concentration of the nervous s system, and the
volume of its central portions, give energy and stability to
their sentiments, whence result superior intelligence and per-
fectibility.
Their body always consists of a head, trunk and members.
The head is formed by the cranium which contains the
brain, and by the face which is composed of two jaws and of
the receptacles of the senses.
The trunk is supported by the spine and the ribs.
The spine is formed of vertebra, the first of which sup-
ports the head, that move upon each other, and are perforated
by an annular opening, forming together a canal, in which is
lodged that medullary production from which arise the nerves,
called the spinal marrow.
The spine, most commonly, is continued into a tail, extend-
ing beyond the posterior members.
The ribs are a kind of semicircular hoops which protect
Vou. I.—E
34 ANIMALIA VERTEBRATA.
the sides of the cavity of the trunk, they are articulated at
one extremity with the vertebrae, and most generally at the
other with the sternum; sometimes, however, they do not
encircle the trunk, and there are genera in which they are
hardly visible.
There are never more than two pairs of members, but some-
times one or the other is wanting, or even both. Their forms
vary according to the movements they have to execute. The
superior members are converted into hands, feet, wings or
fins, and the inferior into feet or fins.
The blood is always red, and appears to be so composed as
to sustain a peculiar energy of sentiment and muscular strength,
but in various degrees, corresponding to their quality of re-
spiration: from which originates the subdivision of the verte-
brata into four classes.
The external senses are always five in number, and reside
in two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the teguments of the
tongue, and those of the body, generally. In some species,
however, the eyes are obliterated.
The nerves reach the medulla through the foramina of the
vertebr or those of the cranium; they all seem to unite with
this medulla, which, after crossing its filaments, spreads out
to form the various lobes of which the brain is composed, and
terminates in the two medullary arches called hemispheres,
whose volume is in proportion to the extent of the intelligence.
There are always two jaws, the greatest motion is in the
lower one, which rises and falls; the upper jaw is sometimes
immovable. Both of these are almost always armed with
teeth, excrescences of a peculiar nature, which in their chemi-
cal composition are very similar to that of bone, but which
grow by layers and transudation; one whole class, however,
that of birds, has the jaws invested with horn, and the genus
Testudo, in the class of reptiles, is in the same case.
The intestinal canal traverses the body from the mouth to
the anus, experiencing various enlargements and contractions,
having appendages and receiving solvent fluids, one of which,
the saliva, is discharged into the mouth. The others, which
are poured into the intestine only, have various names: the
ANIMALIA VERTEBRATA. 35
two principal ones are the juices of the gland called the pan-
creas, and bile, a product of another very large gland named
the liver.
While the digested aliment is traversing its canal, that por-
tion of it which is fitted for nutrition, called the chyle, is ab-
sorbed by particular vessels styled lacteals, and carried into
the veins; the residue of the nourishment of the parts is also
carried into the veins by vessels analogous to these lacteals,
and forming with them one same system called the lymphatic
system.
The blood which has served to nourish the parts, and which
has just been renewed by the chyle and lymph, is returned to
the heart by the veins—but this blood is obliged, either
wholly or in part, to pass into the organ of respiration, in or-
der to regain its arterial nature, previous to being again sent
through the system by the arteries. In the three first classes
this respiratory organ consists of lungs, that is, a collection of
cells into which air penetrates. In fish only, and in some
reptiles, while young, it consists of branchiz ora series of
lamin, between which water passes.
In all the vertebrata, the blood which furnishes the liver
with the materials of the bile is venous blood, which has cir-
culated partly in the parietes of the intestines, and partly in
a peculiar body called the spleen, and which, after being
united in a trunk called the vena porta, is again subdivided
at the liver.
All these animals have a particular secretion; the wrine,
which is produced in two large glands, attached to the sides
of the spine of the back, called Azdneys—the liquid they
secrete is most commonly poured into a reservoir, named
bladder.
The sexes are separate, and the female has always one or
two ovaries, from which the eggs are detached at the instant
of conception. ‘The male fecundifies them with the seminal
fluid, but the mode varies greatly. In most of the genera of
the three first classes, it requires an intromission of the fluid ;
in some reptiles, and in most of the fishes, it takes place after
the exit of the egg.
36 ANIMALIA VERTEBRATA.
Subdivision of the Vertebrata into Four Classes.
We have just seen how far vertebrated animals resemble
each other; they present, however, four great subdivisions or
classes, characterised by the kind or power of their motions,
which depend themselves on the quantity of their respiration,
inasmuch as it is from this respiration that the muscular fibres
derive the strength of their irritability.
The quantity of respiration depends upon two agents: the
first is the relative amount of blood which is poured into the
respiratory organ in a given instant of time; the second is the
relative amount of oxygen which enters into the composition
of the surrounding fluid. The quantity of the former de-
pends upon the disposition of the organs of circulation and
respiration.
The organs of the circulation may be double, so that all the
blood which is brought back from the various parts of the
body by the veins, is forced to circulate through the respi-
ratory organ, previous to resuming its former course through
the arteries; or they may be simple, so that a part only of
the blood is obliged to pass through that organ, the remainder
returning directly to the body.
The latter is the case with reptiles. The quantity of their
respiration, and all their qualities which depend on it, vary
with the amount of blood thrown into the lungs at each pul-
sation.
Fishes have a double circulation, but their organ of respi-
ration is formed to execute its function through the medium
of water; and their blood is only acted on by the portion of
oxygen it contains, so that the quantity of their respiration is
perhaps less than that of reptiles.
In the mammalia the circulation is double, and the aerial
respiration simple, that is, it is performed in the lungs only ;
their quantity of respiration is, consequently, superior to that
of reptiles, on account of the form of their respiratory organ,
and to that of fishes from the nature of their surrounding ele-
ment.
ANIMALIA VERTEBRATA. 37
The quantity of respiration in birds is even superior to that
of quadrupeds, not only because they have a double circula-
tion and an aerial respiration, but also because they respire
by many other cavities besides the lungs, the air penetrating
throughout their bodies, and bathing the branches of the
aorta, as well as those of the pulmonary artery.
Hence result the four different kinds of motion for which
the four classes of vertebrated animals are more particularly
designed: quadrupeds, in which the quantity of respiration is
moderate, are generally formed to walk and run, both motions
being characterized by precision and vigour; birds, which
have more of it, possess the muscular strength and lightness
requisite for flight; reptiles, where it is diminished, are con-
demned to creep, and many of them pass a portion of their
lives in a kind of torpor; jishes, in fine, to execute their mo-
tions, require to be supported in a fluid whose specific gravity
is nearly as great as their own.
All the circumstances of organization peculiar to each of
these four classes, and those especially which regard motion
and the external sensations, have a necessary relation with
these essential characters.
The mammalia, however, have particular characters in their
viviparous mode of generation, in the manner by which the
foetus is nourished in the uterus through the medium of the
placenta, and in the mammez by which they suckle their
young.
The other classes, on the contrary, are oviparous, and if we
compare them to the first, we shall find such numerous points
of resemblance as announce a peculiar system of organization
in the great general plan of the vertebrata.
38 ANIMALIA VERTEBRATA.
CLASS I.
MAMMALIA.
The mammalia are placed at the head of the animal kingdom.
not only because it is the class to which man himself belongs,
but also because it is that which enjoys the most numerous
faculties, the most delicate sensations, the most varied powers
of motion, and in which all the different qualities seem com-
bined in order to produce a more perfect degree of intelli-
gence, the one most fertile in resources, most susceptible of
perfection, and least the slave of instinct.
As their quantity of respiration is moderate, they are de-
signed in general for walking on the earth, but with vigorous
and continued steps. ‘The forms of the articulations of their
skeleton, are, consequently, strictly defined, which deter-
mines all their motions with the most rigorous precision.
Some of them, however, by means of limbs considerably
elongated, and extended membranes, raise themselves in the
air; others have them so shortened, that they can move with
facility in water only, though this does not deprive them of
the general characters of the class.
The upper jaw, in all of these animals, is fixed to the cra-
nium; the lower is formed of two pieces only, articulated by a
projecting condyle to a fixed temporal bone; the neck con-
sists of seven vertebrz, one single species excepted which has
nine; the anterior ribs are attached before, by cartilage, to a
sternum consisting of several vertical pieces; their anterior
extremity commences in a shoulder-blade, that is not articu-
lated, but simply suspended in the flesh, often resting on the
sternum by means of an intermediate bone, called a clavicle.
’
2
MAMMALIA. 39
This extremity is continued by an arm, a fore-arm, and a
hand, the latter being composed of two ranges of small bones
called the carpus, of another range called the metacarpus, and
of the fingers, each of which consists of two or three bones,
termed phalanges.
With the exception of the cetacea, the first part of the pos-
terior extremity, in all animals of this class, is fixed to the
spine, forming a girdle or pelvis, which, in youth, consists of
three pairs of bones, the ilium which is attached to the spine,
the pubis which forms the anterior part of the girdle, and the
ischium, the posterior. At the point of union of these three
bones is situated the cavity with which the thigh is articulated,
to which, in its turn, is attached the leg, formed of two bones,
the tibia and fibula; this extremity is terminated by parts
similar to those of the hand, i. e. by a tarsus, metatarsus and
toes.
The head of the mammalia is always articulated by two con-
dyles, with the atlas, the first vertebra of the neck.
The brain is always composed of two hemispheres, united by
a medullary layer, called the corpus callosum, containing the
ventricles, and enveloping four pairs of tubercles, named the
corpora striata, or striated bodies, the thalamt nervorum op-
ticorum, or beds of the optic nerves, and the nates and testes.
Between the optic beds is a third ventricle, which communi-
cates with a fourth under the cerebellum, the crura of which
always form a transverse prominence under the medulla ob-
longata, called the pons Varolit, or bridge of Varolius.
The eye, invariably lodged in its orbit, is protected by
two lids and a vestige of a third, and has its crystalline fixed
by the ciliary processes—its sclerotic is simply cellular.
The ear always contains a cavity called the 4ympanum, or
drum, which communicates with the mouth by the Eustachian
tube; the cavity itself is closed externally by a membrane call-
ed the membrana tympani, and contains a chain of four little
bones, named the zrcus or anvil, malleus or hammer, the os
orbiculare or circular bone, and the séapes or stirrup; a ves-
tibule, on the entrance of which rests the stapes, and which
communicates with three semicircular canals; and, finally, a
40 MAMMALIA.
cochlea, which terminates by one canal in the vestibule, and
by the other in the tympanum.
Their cranium is subdivided into three portions; the ante-
rior is formed by the two frontal and ethmoidal bones, the
middle by the two ossa parietalia and the os ethmoides, and
the posterior by the os occipitis. Between the ossa parietalia,
the sphenoidalis and the os occipitis, are interposed the two
temporal bones, part of which belong properly to the face.
In the foetus, the occipital bone is divided into four parts:
the sphenoidal into two halves, which are again subdivided
into three pairs of lateral wings; the temporal into three, one
of which serves to complete the cranium, the second to close
the labyrinth of the ear, the third to form the parittes of the
tympanum, &c. ‘These bony portions, still more numerous in
the earliest period of the foetal existence, are united more or
less promptly, according to the species, and the bones them-
selves finally become consolidated in the adult.
Their face consists of the two maxillary bones, between
which pass the nostrils; the two intermaxillaries are situated
before, and the two ossa palati behind them; between these
descends the vomer, a bony process of the os ethmoides; at
the entrance of the nasal canal are placed the ossa nasi; to its
external parietes adhere the inferior turbinated bones, the
superior ones which occupy its upper and posterior portion
belonging to the os ethmoides. The jugal or cheek bone
unites the maxillary to the temporal bone on each side, and
frequently to the os frontis; finally, the os unguis, and pars
plana of the ethmoid bone occupy the internal angle of the
orbit, and sometimes a part of the cheek. In the embryo
state these bones also are much more subdivided.
Their tongue is always fleshy, connected with a bone called
the hyoides, which is composed of several pieces, and sus-
pended from the cranium by ligaments.
Their lungs, two in number, divided into lobes, and com-
posed of an infinitude of cells, are always enclosed, without
any adhesion, in a cavity formed by the ribs and diaphragm
and lined by the pleura; the organ of voice is always at the
MAMMALIA. 41
upper extremity of the trachea; a fleshy curtain, called the
velum palati, establishes a direct communication between their
larynx and nasal canal.
Their residence on the surface of the earth rendering them
less exposed to the alternations of cold and heat, their tegu-
ment, the hair, is but moderately thick, and in such as inhabit
warm climates, even that is rare.
The Cetacea, which live exclusively in-water, are the only
ones that are altogether deprived of it.
The abdominal cavity is lined with a membrane called the
peritoneum, and the intestinal canal is suspended to a fold of
it called the mesentery, which contains numerous conglobate
glands in which the lacteals ramify: another production of
the peritoneum, styled the Segnae Ese: in front of and un-
der the intestines.
The urine which is retained for a time in the bladder finds
an exit in both sexes, with very few exceptions, by orifices
in the organs of generation.
In all the Mammalia, generation is essentially viviparous;
that is, the foetus, directly after conception, descends into the
uterus enveloped in its membranes, the exterior of which is
called chorion and the interior amnios; it fixes itself to the
parietes of this cavity by one plexus, or more of vessels called
the placenta, which establishes a communication between it
and the mother, by which it receives its nourishment, and most
probably its oxygenation, notwithstanding which, the foetus
of the Mammalia, at an early period, has a vesicle analogous
to that which contains the yolk in the Ovipara, receiving in
like manner vessels from the mesentery. It has also another
external bladder named the allantoid, which communicates
with the urinary one by a canal called the urachus.
Conceptign always requires an effectual coitus, in which the
semen masculinum is thrown into the uterus of the female.
The young are nourished for some time after birth by a
fluid (milk) peculiar to animals of this class, which is pro-
duced by the mamme at the time of parturition, and continues
to be so as long as is necessary. It is from the mamme that
Vou, L—F
=
42 MAMMALIA.
this class derives its name, and being a character peculiar to
it, they distinguish it better than any other that is external.(1)
Division of the Mammalia into Orders.
The variable characters which form essential differences
among the Mammalia are taken from the organs of touch, on
which depends their degree of ability or address, and from
the organs of manducation, which determine the nature of
their aliment, and are all closely connected, not only with
every thing relative to the function of digestion, but also with
a multitude of other differences relating even to their intelli-
gence.
The degree of perfection of the organs of touch is esti-
mated by the number and the pliability of the fingers, and
from the greater or less extent to which their extremities are
enveloped by the nail or the hoof.
A hoof which completely envelopes the end of the toe,
blunts its sensibility, and renders the foot incapable of seizing.
The opposite extreme is when a nail, formed of one single
lamina, covers only one of the faces of the extremity of the
finger, leaving the other possessed of all its delicacy.
The nature of the food is known by the grinders, to the
form of which the articulation of the jaws universally corres-
ponds. ,
To cut flesh, grinders are required as trenchant as a saw, and
jaws fitted like scissars, having no other motion than a verti-
cal one.
For bruising roots or grains, flat-crowned grinders are ne-
cessary, and jaws that have a lateral motion; in order that
inequalities may always exist on the crown of these teeth, it —
is also requisite that their substance be composed of parts of
unequal hardness, so that some may wear away faster than
others.
Hoofed animals are all necessarily herbivorous, and have
(1) We shall find, however, in the sequel some doubts on this subject, arising
from certain points in the family of the Monotremata.
MAMMALIA. 43
flat-crowned grinders, inasmuch as their feet. preclude the
possibility of their seizing a living prey.
Animals with unguiculated fingers were susceptible of more
variety; their food is of all kinds, and independently of the
form of their grinders, they differ greatly from each other in
the pliability and delicacy of their fingers. ‘There is one
character with respect to this, which has immense influence
on their dexterity and greatly multiplies its powers; it is the
faculty of opposing the thumb to the finger for the purpose
of seizing minute objects, constituting what is properly called
a hand; a faculty which is carried to its highest perfection in
man, in whom the whole anterior extremity is free and capable
of prehension.
These various combinations which strictly determine the
nature of the different Mammalia, have given rise to the fol-
lowing orders:
Among the unguiculated animals, the first is Man, who, in
addition to privileges of other descriptions, possesses hands at
the anterior extremities only, the posterior being designed to
support him in an erect position.
In the order next to man, that of the QUADRUMANA, we
find hands at the four extremities.
In another order, that of the CARNARIA, the thumb is not
free, and cannot be opposed to the anterior extremities.
Each of these orders has the three sorts of teeth, grinders,
canini, and incisors or cutting teeth.
In a fourth order, that of the RopENTTIA, the toes differ but
little from those of the Carnaria, but there are no canine teeth,
and the incisors are placed in front of the mouth, and adapted
to a very peculiar sort of manducation.
Then come those animals whose toes are much cramped,
and deeply sunk in large nails, which are generally curved;
they have no incisors, and in some the canines disappear,
while others have none of any description. We comprise
them all under the title of the EDENTATA.
This distribution of the unguiculated animals would be per-
fect, and form a very regular series, were it not that New
Holland has lately furnished us with a little collateral one,
44 MAMMALIA.
consisting of anzmals with pouches, the different genera of
which are connected by a general similarity of organization;
some of them, however, in the teeth and nature of their diet
corresponding to the Carnaria, others to the Rodentia, and a
third to the Edentata.
The hoofed animals are less numerous, and have likewise
fewer irregularities.
The RUMINANTIA, by their cloven foot, the absence of true
incisors in their upper jaw, and their four stomachs, form an
order that is very distinct.
The remaining hoofed animals may all be united in a single
order, which I shall call PACHYDERMATA or JUMENTA, the E/e-
phant excepted, which might constitute a separate one, and
which is remotely connected with that of the Rodentia.
In the last place, we find those of the Mammalia which
have no posterior extremities, whose piscatory form and aqua-
tic mode of life would induce us to form them into a particu-
lar class, were it not that in every thing else their economy is
similar to that in which we leave them. ‘These are the hot-
blooded fishes of the ancients, or the cerAcEA, which, uniting
to the vigour of the other mammalia the advantage of being
sustained by the watery element, present to our wondering
sight the most gigantic of animals.
ORDER I.
BIMANA.
Man forms but one genus, and that genus the only one of its
order. As his history is the more directly interesting to our-
selves, and forms the point of comparison to which we refer
that of other animals, we will speak of it more in detail.
We will rapidly sketch every thing that is peculiar in each
of his organic systems, amidst all that he shares in common
with other mammalia; we will examine the advantages he
BIMANA. 45
derives from these peculiarities over other species; we will
describe the principal varieties of his race and their distin-
guishing characters, and finally point out the natural order in
which his individual and social faculties are developed.
Peculiar Conformation of Man.
The foot of Man is very different from that of the Monkey; it is
large; the leg bears vertically upon it; the heel is expanded beneath;
the toes are short, and but slightly flexible; the great toe, longer
and larger than the rest, is placed on the same line with, and can-
not be opposed to them. This foot, then,is peculiarly well adapted
to support the body; but cannot be used for seizing or climbing, and
as the hands are not calculated for walking, Man is the only true
bimanous and biped animal.
The whole body of Man is arranged with a view to a vertical po-
sition. His feet, as just mentioned, furnish him with a base more
extensive than that of any other of the Mammalia. The muscles
which extend the foot and thigh are more vigorous, whence pro-
ceeds the projection of the calf and buttock; the flexors of the leg
are inserted higher up, which allows full extension of the knee, and
renders the calf more apparent. The pelvis is wider, hence a greater
separation of the thighs and feet, and that pyramidal form of the
body so favourable to equilibrium. ‘The necks of the thigh bones
form an angle with the body of the bone, which increases, still
more, the separation of the feet, and augments the basis of the
body. Finally, the head in this vertical position is in equilibrium
on the body, because its articulation is exactly under the middle of
its mass.
Were he to desire it, Man could not, with convenience, walk on
all fours; his short and nearly inflexible foot, and his long thigh,
would bring the knee to the ground; his widely separated shoulders
and his arms, too far extended from the median line, would ill sup-
port the upper portion of his body. The great indented muscle,
which, in quadrupeds, suspends, as in a girth, the body between the
scapulz, is smaller in Man than in any one among them. The head
is also heavier, both from the magnitude of the brain and the small-
ness of the sinuses or cavities of the bones; and yet the means of
supporting it are weaker, for he has neither cervical ligament, nor
are his vertebrz so arranged as to prevent their flexure forwards;
the result of this would be, that he could only keep his head in the
same line with the spine, and then his eyes and mouth being directed
towards the earth, he could not see before him;—in the erect posi-
A6 MAMMALIA.
tion, on the contrary, the arrangement of these organs is every way
perfect. |
The arteries which are sent to his brain, not being subdivided as
in many quadrupeds, and the blood requisite for so voluminous an
organ being carried into it with too much violence, frequent apo-
plexies would be the consequence of a horizontal position.
Man, then, is formed for an erect position only. He thus pre-
serves the entire use of his hands for the arts, while his organs of
sense are most favourably situated for observation.
These hands, which derive such advantages from their liberty, re-
ceive as many more from their structure. The thumb, longer in
proportion than that of the Monkey, increases its facility of seizing
small objects. All the fingers, the annularis excepted, have sepa-
rate movements, a faculty possessed by no other animal, not even by
the Monkey. The nail, covering one side only of the extremity of
the finger, acts as a support to the touch, without depriving it of an
atom of its delicacy. The arms to which these hands are attached,
are strongly and firmly connected by the large scapula, the strong
clavicle, &c.
Man, so highly favoured as to dexterity, is not at all so with
respect to force. His swiftness in running is greatly inferior to that
of other animals of his size. Having neither projecting jaws, nor |
salient canine teeth, nor claws, he is destitute of offensive weapons;
and the sides and upper parts of his body being naked, unprovided
even with hair, he is absolutely without defensive ones. Of all ani-
mals, he is also the longest in attaining the power necessary to
provide for himself.
This very weakness, however, is but one advantage more—it com-
pels him to have recourse to that intelligence within, for which he
is so eminently conspicuous.
No quadruped approaches him in the magnitude and convolutions
of the hemispheres of the brain, that is, in the part of this organ
which is the principal instrument of the intellectual operations. The
posterior portion of the same organ extends backwards, so as to
form a second covering to the cerebellum; the very form of his cra-
nium announces this magnitude of the brain, while the smallness of
his face shows how slightly that portion of the nervous system
which influences the external senses predominates in him.
These external sensations, moderate as they all are in Man, are
nevertheless extremely delicate and well balanced.
His two eyes are directed forwards; he does not see on two sides
at once, like many quadrupeds, which produces more unity in
the result of his sight, and concentrates his attention more closely on
sensations of this kind. The ball and iris of his eye vary but little;
BIMANA. 47
this restrains the activity of his sight to a limited distance, and a
determined degree of light. His external ear, possessing but little
mobility or extent, does not increase the intensity of sounds, and
yet, of all animals, he best distinguishes the various degrees of in-
tonation. His nostrils, more complicated than those of the Monkey,
are less so than those of all other genera; and yet he appears to be
the only animal whose sense of smell is sufficiently delicate to be
affected by unpleasant odours. _ Delicacy of smell must have some
influence on that of taste, and independently of this Man must have
some advantage in this respect over other animals, those, at least,
whose tongues are covered with scales. Lastly, the nicety of his
tact results, both from the delicacy of his tezuments, and the ab-
sence of all insensible parts, as well as from the form of his hand,
which is better adapted than that of any other animal for suiting
itself to every little superficial inequality.
Man is pre-eminently distinguished in the organ of his voice; of
all the Mammalia, he alone possesses the faculty of articulating
sounds, its probable causes being the form of his mouth and the
great mobility of his lips. From this results his most invaluable
mode of communication, for of all the signs which can be conveniently
employed for the transmission of ideas, variations of sound are those
which can be perceived at the greatest distance, and are the most
extensive in their sphere of operation.
The whole of his structure, even to the heart and great vessels,
appears to have been framed with a view to a vertical position. The
heart is placed obliquely on the diaphragm, and its point inclines to
the left, thereby occasioning a distribution of the aorta, differing
from that of most quadrupeds.
The natural food of man, judging from his structure, appears to
consist of the fruits, roots, and other succulent parts of vegetables:
“his hands offer him every facility for gathering them; his short, and
but moderately strong jaws on the one hand, and his canini being
equal in length to the remaining teeth, and his tubercular molares
on the other, would allow him neither to feed on grass nor to devour
flesh, were these aliments not previously prepared by cooking.
Once, however, possessed of fire, and those arts by which he is
aided in seizing animals or killing them at a distance, every living
being was rendered subservient to his nourishment, thereby giving
him the means of an infinite multiplication of his species.
His organs of digestion are in conformity with those of manduca-
tion; his stomach is simple, his intestinal canal of moderate length,
the great intestines well marked, his cecum short and thick and
augmented by a small appendage, and his liver divided only into two
.
7 cane
48 MAMMALIA.
large lobes and one small one; his epiploon hangs in front of the
intestines, and extends into the pelvis.
To complete the hasty sketch of the anatomical structure of Man
requisite for this introduction, we will add, that he has thirty-two
vertebrz, of which seven belong to the neck, twelve to the back, five
to the loins, five to the sacrum, and three to the coccyx. Seven
pairs of his ribs are united with the sternum by elongated cartilages,
and are called true ribs; the five following pairs are denominated
false ones. His adult cranium is formed of eight bones; an occipi-
talis, two ossa temporis, two parietalia, and the frontal, ethmoidal
and sphenoidal bones. The bones of his face are fourteen in number,
two maxillaries, two ossa mal, each of which joins the temporal
to the maxillary bone of its own side by a kind of handle called the
zygomatic arch; two nasal bones, two ossa palati behind the palate,
a vomer between the nostrils, two turbinated bones of the nose in
the nostrils, two lachrymals (unguis) in the internal angles of the
orbits and the single bone of the lower jaw. Each jaw has sixteen
teeth; four cutting incisors in the middle, two pointed canines at
the corners, and ten tuberculated molares, five on each side. At
the extremity of the spine of his scapula, is a tuberosity called the
acromion, to which the clavicle is attached, and over its articulation
is a point called the coracoid process with which certain muscles
are connected. The radius revolves upon the ulna, owing to the
mode of its articulation with the humerus. The carpus has eight
iy bones, four in each range; the tarsus has seven; those of the remain-
ing parts of the hand and foot may be easily counted by the number
of fingers and toes.
Enjoying uniform and regular supplies of nourishment, the fruit
of his industry, Man is at all times inclined to the °* plaisirs
d’amour,”’ without ever experiencing that irresistible and violent
impetus which marks the passion in quadrupeds. His organ of
generation is not upheld by a bony axis; the prepuce does not tie it
down to the abdomen, and it hangs loosely in front of the pubis.
Numerous and large veins which effect a rapid transfer of the blood
of his testes to the gen€ral circulation, epReet to contribute to the
moderation of his desires.
The uterus of woman is a simple oval cavity; her mammz, only
two in number, are placed upon her breast, and correspond with the
facility she possesses of supporting her child upon her arm.
Physical and Moral Development of Man.
The term of gestation in the human species is nine months, and
but one child is usually produced at a birth, as in five hundred
\
BIMANA. 49
cases of parturition there is but one of twins; more than the latter
is extremely rare. The foetus, a month old, is generally about one
inch in height; when two months, it is two inches and a half; when
three, five inches; in the fifth month, it is six orseven inches; in the
seventh, it is eleven inches; in the eighth, fourteen, and in the ninth,
eighteen inches.. Those which are born prior to the seventh month
usually die. The first or milk teeth begin to appear in a few months,
commencing with the incisors. The number increases in two years
to twenty, which, about the seventh year, are successively shed to
make room for others. Of the twelve posterior molares which are
permanent, there are four which make their appearance at four
years and a half, and four at nine; the last four are frequently not
cut until the twentieth year. The growth of the foetus is propor-
tionably increased as it approaches the time of birth—that of the
child, on the contrary, is always less and less. It has more than
the fourth of its height when born; it attains the half of it at two
years and a half, and the three-fourths at nine or ten years; its
growth is completed about the eighteenth year. Man rarely ex-
ceeds the height of six feet, and as rarely remains under five. Woman
is usually some inches shorter.
Puberty is announced by external symptoms, from the tenth to the |
twelfth year in girls, and from the twelfth to the sixteenth in boys;
it arrives sooner in warm climates, and neither sex, (very rarely at
least,) is productive before or after that manifestation.
Scarcely has the body gained the full period of its growth in
height, before it begins to increase in bulk; fat accumulates in the —
cellular tissue, the different vessels become gradually obstructed, the
solids become rigid, and, after a life more or less long, more or less" wie
agitated, more or less painful, old age arrives with decrepitude, de-
cay, and death. Man rarely lives beyond.a hundred years, and most
of the species, either from disease, accident, or old age, perish long
before that term.
The child needs the assistance of its mother much longer thanher _
milk, from this it obtains an education both moral and physical, and
a mutual attachment is created that is fervent and durable. The
nearly equal number of the two sexes, the difficulty of supporting
more than one wife, when wealth does not supply the want of power,
all go to prove that monogamy is the mode of union most natu-
ral to our species, and, as wherever this kind of tie exists, the father
participates in the education of his offspring, the length of time re-
quired for that education allows the birth of others—hence the na-
tural permanence of the conjugal state. From the long period of
infantile weakness springs domestic subordination, and the order of
society in general, as the young people which compose the new
Vou. IL.—G
50-@ MAMMALIA.
families continue to preserve with their parents those tender rela-
tions to which they have so long been accustomed. This disposi-
tion to mutual assistance multiplies to an almost unlimited extent
those advantages previously derived by insulated man from his in-
telligences; it has assisted him to tame or repulse other animals, to
defend himself from the effects of climate, and thus enabled him to
cover the earth with his species.
In other respects, man appears to possess nothing resembling in-
stinct, no regular habit of industry produced by innate ideas; his
knowledge is the result of his sensations and of his observation, or
of those of his predecessors. Transmitted by speech, increased by
meditation, and applied to his necessities and his enjoyments, they
have originated all the arts of life. Language and letters, by pre-
serving acquired knowledge, are a source of indefinite perfection to
his species. Itis thus he has acquired ideas, and made all nature
contribute to his wants.
There are very different degrees of development, however, in man.
The first hordes, compelied to live by fishing and hunting, or on
wild fruits, and being obliged to devote all their time to search for
the means of subsistence, and not being able to multiply greatly,
because that would have destroyed the game, advanced but slowly.
Their arts were limited to the construction of huts and canoes, to
covering themselves with skins and the fabrication of arrows and
nets. They observed such stars only as directed them in their jour-
neys, and some few natural objects whose properties were of use to
them. They domesticated the Dog, simply because he had a natu-
ral inclination for their own kind of life. When they had succeeded
in taming the herbivorous animals, they found in the possession of
numerous flocks a never failing source of subsistence, and also some
leisure, which they employed in extending the sphere of their ac-
quirements. Some industry was then employed in the construction
of dwellings and the making of clothes: the idea of property was
admitted, and consequently that of barter, as well as wealth and
difference of conditions, those fruitful sources of the noblest emula-
tion and the vilest passions: but the necessity of searching for fresh
pastures, and of obeying the changes of the seasons, still doomed
them to a wandering life, and limited their improvement to a very
narrow sphere.
The multiplication of the human species, and its improvement in
the arts and sciences, have only been carried to a high degree since
the invention of agriculture and the division of the soil into heredi-
tary possessions. By means of agriculture, the manual labour of a
portion of society is adequate to the maintenance of the whole, and
allows the remainder time for less necessary occupations, at the same .
BIMANA. 51
time that the hope of acquiring, by industry, a comfortable exist-
ence for self and posterity, has given a new spring to emulation.
The discovery of a representative of property or a circulating me-
dium, by facilitating exchanges and rendering fortunes more inde-
pendent and susceptible of being increased, has carried this emula-
tion to its highest degree, but by a necessary consequence it has
also equally increased the vices of effeminacy and the furies of ambi-
tion. )
The natural propensity to reduce every thing to general principles,
and to search for the causes of every phenomenon, has produced re-
flecting men, in every stage of society, who have added new ideas to
those already obtained, nearly all of whom, while knowledge was
confined to the few, endeavoured to convert their intellectual supe-
riority into the means of domination, by exaggerating their own
merit, and disguising the poverty of their knowledge by the propa-
gation of superstitious ideas.
An evil still more irremediable, is the abuse of physical power :
now that man only can injure man, he is continually seeking to do
so, and is the only animal upon earth that is for ever at war with his
own species. Savages fight for a forest, and herdsmen for a pasture,
and as often as they can, break inupon the cultivators of the earth
to rob them of the fruits of their long and painful labours. Even
civilized nations, far from being contented with their blessings, pour
out each other’s blood for the prerogatives of pride, or the monopoly
of trade. Hence, the necessity for governments to direct the
national wars, and to repress or reduce to regular forms the quarrels
of individuals. Het
: ae 5 4 . ie
The social condition of man has been restrained, or advanced by
circumstances more or less favourable.
The glacial climates of the north of both continents, and the im-
penetrable forests of America are still inhabited by the savage hun-
ter or fisherman. The immense sandy and salt plains of central
Asia and Africa are covered with a pastoral people, and innumerable
herds. These half civilized hordes assemble at the call of every
enthusiastic chief, and rush like a torrent on the cultivated coun-
tries that surround them, in which they establish themselves, but to
be weakened by luxury, and in their turn to become the prey of
others. This is the true cause of that despotism which has always
crushed and destroyed the industry of Persia, India, and China.
Mild climates, soils naturally irrigated and rich in vegetables, are
the cradles of agriculture and civilization, and when so situated as
to be sheltered from the incursions of barbarians, every species of
talent is excited; such were (the first in Europe) Italy and Greece,
and such is, at present, nearly all that happy portion of the earth.
52 MAMMALIA.
There are, however, certain intrinsic causes which seem to arrest
the progress of particular races, although situated amidst the most
favourable circumstances.
Varieties of the Human Species.
Although the promiscuous intercourse of the human species,
which produces individuals capable of propagation, would seem to
demonstrate its unity, certain hereditary peculiarities of conforma-
tion are observed which constitute what are termed races.
Three of them in particular appear very distinct—the Caucasian
or white, the Mongolian or yellow, and the Ethiopian or negro.
The Caucasian, to which we belong, is distinguished by the beauty
of the oval formed by his head, varying in complexion and the
colour of the hair. To this variety, the most highly civilized nations,
and those which have generally held all others in subjection, are in-
debted for their origin.
The Mongolian is known by his high cheek bones, flat visage,
narrow and oblique eyes, straight black hair, scanty beard and olive
complexion. Great empires have been established by this race in
China and Japan, and their conquests been extended to this side of
the Great Desert. In civilization, however, it has always remained
stationary.
The Negro race is confined to the south of mount Atlas; it is
marked by a black complexion, crisped or woolly hair, compressed
cranium, and a flat nose. The projection of the lower parts of the
face, and the thick lips, evidently approximate it to the monkey
tribe: the hordes of which it consists have always remained in the
most complete state of utter barbarism.
The race from which we are descended has been called Caucasian,
because tradition and the filiation of nations seem to refer its origin
to that group of mountains situated between the Caspian and Black
seas, whence, as from acentre, it has been extended like the radii of
a circle. Various nations in the vicinity of Caucasus, the Georgians
and Circassians, are still considered the handsomest on earth. » The
principal ramifications of this race may be distinguished by the ana-
logies of language. The Armenian or Syrian branch, stretching
to the south, produced the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the hitherto
untameable Arabs, who, after Mahomet, were near becoming mas-
ters of the world; the Phenicians, Jews and Abyssinians, which
were Arabian colonies ; and most probably the Egyptians. It is
from this branch, always inclined to mysticism, that have sprung
the most widely extended forms of religion—the arts and literature
&
BIMANA. 53
have sometimes flourished among its nations, but always enveloped
ina strange disguise and figurative style.
The Indian, German, and Pelasgic branch is much more extend-
ed, and was much earlier divided: notwithstanding which, the most
numerous.affinities may be observed.between its four principal lan-
| guages—the Sanscrit, the present sacred language of the Hindoos,
and the parent of the greater number of the dialects of Hindostans
the ancient language of the Pelasgi, common mother of the Greek,
Latin, many tongues that are extinct, and of all those of the south of
Europe; the Gothic or Teutonic, from which are derived the lan-
guages of the north and north-west of Europe, such as the German, |
Dutch, English, Danish, Swedish, and other dialects; and finally,
the Sclavonian, from which spring those of the north-east, the Rus-
sian, Polish, Bohemian, &c.
It is by this great and venerable branch of the Caucasian stock,
that philosophy, the arts, and the sciences have been carried to the
greatest perfection, and remained in the keeping of the nations
which compose it for more than three thousand years.
It was preceded in Europe by the Celts, who came from the north,
whose tribes, once very numerous, are now confined to its most
eastern extremity, and by the Cantabrians, who passed from Africa
into Spain, now confounded with the many nations whose posterity
have intermingled in that peninsula.
The ancient Persians originate from the same source as the In-
dians, and their descendants to the present hour bear great marks >
of resemblance to the people of Europe. !
The predatory tribes of the Scythian and Tartar branch, extending
at first to the north and north-east, always wandering over the im-
mense plains of those countries, returned only to devastate the happier
abodes of their more civilized brethren. The Scythians, who, at so
remote a period, made irruptions into upper Asia; the Parthians,
who there destroyed the Greek and Roman domination; the Turks,
who there subverted that of the Arabs, and subjugated in Europe
the unfortunate remnant of the Grecian people, all swarmed from
this prolific branch. The Finlanders and Hungarians are tribes of
the same division, which have strayed among the Sclavonic and
Teutonic nations. Their original country, to the north and north-
east of the Caspian sea still contains inhabitants who have the same
origin, and speak similar languages, but mingled with other petty
nations, variously descended, and of different languages. The Tar-
tars remained unmixed longer than the others in the country in-
cluded between the mouth of the Danube to beyond the Irtisch,
from which they so long menaced Russia, and where they have
finally been subjugated by her. The Mongoles, however, have
54 MAMMALIA.
mingled their blood with that of those they conquered, many traces
of which may still be found among the inhabitants of lesser Tartary.
It is to the east of this Tartar branch of the Caucasian race that
the Mongolian race begins, whence it extends to the eastern ocean.
Its branches, the Calmucs, &c. still wandering shepherds, are con-
stantly traversing the desert. Thrice did their ancestors under
Attila, Genghis, and Tamerlane, spread far the terror of their name.
The Chinese are the earliest and most civilized branch not only of
this race, to which they belong, but of all the nations upon earth.
A third branch, the Mantchures, recently conquered, and still
govern China. The Japanese, Coreans, and nearly all the hordes
which extend to the north-east of Siberia, subject to Russia, are also
to be considered, in a great measure, as originating from this race;
and such also is esteemed the fact, with regard to the original inha-
bitants of various islands of that Archipelago. With the exception
of a few Chinese literati, the different nations of the Mongoles are
universally addicted to Buddism, or the religion of Fo.
The origin of this great race appears to have been in the moun-
tains of Atlai, but it is impossible to trace the filiation of its diffe-
rent branches with the same certainty as we have done those of the
Caucasian. The history of these wandering nations is as fugitive as
their establishments, and that of the Chinese, confined exclusively to
their own empire, gives us nothing satisfactory with respect to their
neighbours. The affinities of their languages are also too little
known to direct us in this labyrinth.
The languages of the north of the Peninsula beyond the Ganges,
as well as that of Thibet, are somewhat allied to the Chinese, at
least in their monosyllabic structure, and the people who speak
them have features somewhat resembling other Mongoles. The
south of this Peninsula, however, is inhabited by Malays, whose
forms approximate them much nearer to the Indians, whose race
and language are extended over all the coasts of the islands of the
Indian Archipelago. The innumerable little islands of the southern
ocean are also peopled by a handsome race, nearly allied to the In-
dians, whose language is very similar to the Malay; in the interior
of the largest of these islands, particularly in the wilder portions of
it, is another race of men with black complexions, crisped hair, and
negro faces, called Alfourous.. On the coast of New Guinea, and in
the neighbouring islands, we find other negroes, nearly similar to
those of the eastern coast of Africa, named Papuas (1) to the latter,
(1) With respect to the various nations of the Indian and Pacific oceans, see
the dissertation of Messrs Lesson and Garnot in the Zoologie du Voyage de la
BIMANA. mh WBS
are generally referred the people of Van-Diemen’s land, and those
of New Holland to the Alfourous.
These Malays, and these Papuas are not easily referable to either
of the three great races of which we have been speaking, but can
the former be clearly distinguished from their neighbours, the Cau-
casian Hindoos and the Mongolian Chinese? As for us, we confess
we cannot discover any sufficient characteristics in them for that
purpose. Are the Papuas Negroes, which may formerly have strayed
into the Indian ocean? We possess neither figures nor descriptions
sufficiently precise to enable us to answer this question.
The northern inhabitants of both continents, the Samoiédes, the
Laplanders, and the Esquimaux spring, according to some, from the
Mongolian race, while others assert that they are mere degenerate
offsets from the Scythian and Tartar branch of the Caucasian stock.
We have not yet been able to refer the Americans to any of the
races of the eastern continent; still, they have no precise nor con-
stant character which can entitle them to be considered as a par-
ticular one. Their copper coloured complexion is not sufficient;
their generally black hair and scanty beard would induce us to
refer them to the Mongoles, if their defined features, projecting
nose, large and open eye, did not oppose such a theory, and corres-
pond with the features of the European. Their languages are as
numberless as their tribes, and no demonstrative analogy has as yet
been obtained, either with each other, or with those of the old
world. (1)
ORDER II.
n QUADRUMANA.
Independently of the anatomical details which distinguish
it from man, and which have been given, this family differs
from our species in a very remarkable way. All the animals
belonging to it have the toes of the hind feet free and oppo-
Coquille, p. 1—113. For the languages of the Asiatics and their affinities, con-
sult the Asia Polyglotta of M. Klaproth.
(1) See the Voyage de M. de Humboldt, and the dissertations of Vater and
Mitchill.
:
|
|
SS a Oe
56 ‘ MAMMALIA.’ «
sable to the others, and the toes are all as long and flexible as
fingers. In consequence of this, the whole species climb
trees with the greatest facility, while it is only with pain and
difficulty they can stand and walk upright; their foot then
resting on its outer edge only, and their narrow pelvis being un-
favourable to an equilibrium. They all have intestines very
similar to those of man; the eyes directed forwards, the mam-
mz on the breast, the penis pendent. The brain has three
lobes on each side, the posterior of which covers the cerebel-
lum, and the temporal foss are separated from the orbits by
a bony partition. In every thing else, however, they gradu-
ally lessen in resemblance to him, by assuming a muzzle more
and more elongated, a tail and a gait more like that of quad-
rupeds. Notwithstanding this, the freedom of their arms and
the complication of their hands allow them all to perform
many of the actions of man as well as to imitate his gestures.
They have long been divided into two genera, the Monkeys
and the Lemurs, which, by the multiplication of secondary
forms, have now become two small families, between which
we must place a third genus that of the Ouzséztis, as it is not
conveniently referable to the one or the other.
Simi&. Eth.
The monkeys are all quadrumana, which have four straight incisors
_ in each jaw, and flat nails on all the extremities; two characters
which approximate them more nearly to man, than the subsequent
genera; their molares have also blunt tubercles like ours, and their
food consists chiefly of fruits. Their canine teeth, however, being
longer than the rest, supply them with a weapon we do not possess,
and which require a hollow in the opposite jaw, to receive ther
when the mouth is closed.
They may be divided, from the number of their molar teeth, into
two principal subgenera, which are again subdivided into nu-
merous groups.(1) The
(1) Buffon subdivided the monkeys into five tribes: the true monkeys without
tails ; the baboons with short tails ; the guwenons with long tails and callous buttocks ;
the sapajous with long prehensile tails and no callus ; the sagowins with long tails,
not prehensile and without callus. Erxleben, adopting this division, translated
these names by simia, papio, cercopithecus; cebus and callithriz. Thus it is, that
the names cebus and callithrix, by which the ancients designated monkeys ef Af-
QUADRUMANA. on OF
Monkeys, properly so called,
Or those of the eastern continent, have the same number of grin-
ders as Man, but otherwise differing from each other by characters,
which have formed the grounds of the following subdivisions. The
AY de «~ Sma, Erxl.—Piruecus, Geoffr.
The Ourangs(1) are the only monkeys of the ancient continent
which have no callus on the buttock; their hyoid bone, liver and
cecum resemble those of Man. Their nose is not prominent, they
have no cheek-pouches, nor a vestige of a tail. Some of them have
arms long enough to reach the ground when standing—their legs,
on the contrary, are very short.
S. satyrus, L.; Audeb., pl. 23 Fr. Cuv. pl. 2. (The Ourang-
Outang.)(2) Of all animals, this Ourang is considered as ap-
proaching most nearly to Man in the form of his head, height
of forehead, and volume of brain; but the exaggerated descrip-
tions of some authors respecting this resemblance, are partly to
be attributed to the fact of their being drawn from young in-
dividuals only; and there is every reason to believe, that with
age, their muzzle becomes much more prominent. The body
is covered with coarse red hair, the face bluish, and the hinder
thumbs very short compared with the toes. His lips are sus-
ceptible of a singular elongation, and possess great mobility.
His history has been much disfigured by mingling it with that
of the other great monkeys, that of the Chimpansé in particu-
lar. After a strict and critical examination, I have ascertained
r
rica and India, have been transferred to those of America. The genus Papio,
founded solely on the shortness of the tail, could not be retained, as it violated
natural affinities, and all the others required subdividing. It was also necessary
to abolish the genus Ouistitis, which was comprised in that of the Sagouins, but
which does not altogether correspond with the common characters of the other
monkeys.
(1) Orang is a Malay word signifying reasonable being, which is applied to man,
the ourang-outang, and the elephant. Oufang means wild, or of the woods; hence,
Wild Man of the Woods.
(2) The only good figure of the Ourang-Outang we had for a long time was that
of Vosmaer, taken from a living specimen at the Hague. That of Buffon, Suppl.
VIM, pl. 1, is every way erroneous ; that of Allamand (Buff. d’Holl. XV, pl. 11,) is
somewhat better—it was copied in Schreber, pl. 2, B. That of Camper, copied ib.,
pl. 2, C, is tolerably exact, but i is easily discovered to have been taken from the
dead body. Bontius, Med. Ind. 84, gives a completely ideal one, although Linnzus
took it for the type of his troglodyte (Amen. Ac. VI, pl. 1,§1). There are some
good ones in Griffith, and in Krusenstern’s Voyage, pl. 94 and 95, but alk of them
from young subjects.
WoT. be EL
“ato
58 MAMMALIA.
that the Ourang-Outang inhabits the most eastern countries
only, such as Malabar, Cochin China, and particularly the great
island of Borneo, whence he has been occasionally brought to
Europe by the way of Java. When young, and such as he ap-
pears to us in his captiyity, he is a mild and gentle animal,
easily rendered tame and affectionate, which is enabled by his
conformation to imitate many of our actions, but whose intel-
ligence does not appear to be as great as is reported, not much
surpassing even that of the Dog. Camper discovered, and has
well described two membranous sacs in this animal which com-
municate with the glottis, that produce a hoarseness of his voice
—he was mistaken, however, in imagining that the nails are
always wanting on his hinder thumbs.
There is a monkey in Borneo, hitherto known only by his
skeleton, called the Pongo,(1) which so closely resembles the
Ourang-Outang in the proportions of all his parts, and by the ar-
rangement of the foramina, and sutures of the head, that, not-
withstanding the great prominence of the muzzle, the small-
ness of the cranium, and the height of the branches of the lower
jaw, we are tempted to consider him an adult—if not of the
species of the Ourang-Outang, at least of one very nearly allied
to it. The length of the arms, that of the apophyses of the
cervical vertebrx, and the tuberosity of his calcaneum, may
enable him to assume the vertical position, and walk upon two
feet. He is the largest monkey known, and in size is nearly
equal to Man.
Mr J. Harwood, in the Trans. Lin. Soc. XV, p. 471, de-
scribes the feet of an ourang, fifteen English inches in length.
This announces a very great stature in the animal to which
they belonged, and would have Ied him to the belief that the
- Pongo is the adult Ourang-Outang, were it not that the skele-
ton of the Pongo in the College of Surgeons, at London, has
one lumbar vertebra more than those of the Ourangs. This,
(1) Audeb. Singes, pl. anat. 2. This name of Pongo, a corruption of Boggo,
which is given in Africa to the Chimpansé, or to the Mandrill, was applied by
Buffon to a pretended large species of Ourang-Outang—the mere imaginary pro-
duct of his combinations. Wurmb, a naturalist of Batavia, has transferred it to
this animal, which he was the first to describe, and of which Buffon never had
any idea. See Mem. of the Soc. of Batavia, vol. ii, p. 245. The thought, that it
might be an adult Ourang, struck me on examining the head of an ordinary
Ourang, whose muzzle projected much more thap those of the very young speci-
mens hitherto described. I described it in a memoir read before the Acad. des
Sciences in 1818. ‘Tilesius and Rudolphi appear: ang to have had it. See the
Mem. of the Acad. of Berlin, 1824, p. 131.
QUADRUMANA. 59
however, is no objection—the same variation is frequently
observed in the human subject.
The arms of the remaining Ourangs reach only to the knee. They
have no forehead, and the cranium retreats from the crest of the
eye-brow. The name of CuimpansEs might be exclusively applied
to them.
S. troglodytes, L. (The Chimpansé)(1) is covered with black
or brown hair. Could any reliance be placed on the accounts
of travellers, this animal must be equal or superior to man
in stature, but no part of it hitherto seen in Europe indicates
this extraordinary size. It inhabits Guinea and Congo, lives
in troops, constructs huts of leaves and sticks, arms itself with
clubs and stones, and thus repulses men and elephants; pur-
sues and abducts, as is said, negro women, &c. Naturalists
have generally confounded it with the Ourang-Outang. When
domesticated he soon learns to walk, sit, and eat like a man.
We now separate the Gibbons from the Ourangs.
Hirorartes, Illig.
The Gibbons have the long arms of the true Ourangs, and the
low forehead of the Chimpansé, along with the callous buttocks of
the Guenons, differing however from the latter in having no tail
or cheek-pouch. They all inhabit the most remote parts of India.
S. lar. L.3 Buff. XIV, 23; Onko, Fred. Cuv. pl. 5 and 6, (The
Black Gibbon) is covered with coarse black hairs, and has a
whitish circle round his face.
HZ. agilis, Fred. Cuv. pl. 3 and 43 Petit Gibbon of Buffon,
XIV, 3, (The Brown Gibbon) is brown—the circle round the
face is of a pale red; the lower part of the back is of the same
colour. The young are of a uniform yellowish white—it is
very agile, and lives in pairs—its Malay name, Wouwou, is
taken from its cry.
S. leucisea, Schreber, pl. 3, B, (Whe Cinereous Gibbon)
is covered with a soft and ash-coloured wool. The visage is
(1) This is the Quojas morou or the Satyr of Angola of Tulpius, who gives a bad
figure of it, (Obs. Med., p. 271) and the Pygmy, much better represented by
Tyson, (Anat. of a Pygmy, pl. 1,) copied by Schreber, pl. 1, B. Scotin had given
a tolerable drawing of it, copied Amen. Acad. VI, pl. 1, fig. 3, and Schreber, 1, C.
An individual that lived with Buffon, and which is still preserved in the Museum,
is represented, though badly, in the Hist. Nat. XIV, 1, where he is called Jocko.
The same specimen is much better in Lecat (Traite du Mouv. Muscl. pl. 1, fig. 1),
under the name Quimpese. Audebert gives the same, but from the stuffed speci-
men only—he calls it Pongo.
at
60 MAMMALIA.
black—lives among the reeds, and climbs to the tops of the
highest branches of the bamboos, where it balances itself by
itslong arms. We might separate from the other Gibbons the
Stamang.
S. syndactila, Raff., Fred. Cuv., pl. 2, (The Siamang) has the
second and third toes of the hind foot united by a narrow mem-
brane, the whole length of the first phalanx. It is black—the
chin and eyebrows red—lives in numerous troops, which are
led, by courageous and vigilant chiefs, which, at sunrise and
sunset, make the forest ring with the most frightful cries.
Their larynx has a membranous sac connected with it.
All the ensuing monkeys of the eastern continent have the liver
divided into several lobes; the czcum thick, short, and without
any appendage; the hyoid bone has the form of a shield.
Crrcoriruecus, Erxl., partim.
The long-tailed monkeys(1) have a moderately prominent muz-
zle (of 60°); cheek-pouches; tails; callosities on the buttocks ; the
last of the inferior molares with four tubercles like the rest. Nu-
merous species, of every variety of size and colour, abound in
Africa, live in troops, and do much damage to the gardens and
fields under cultivation. They are easily tamed.
Simua rubra, Gm.; Buff. XIV, 303; Fred. Cuv. 24. (The
Patras.) Red fawn colour above, whitish below; a black band
over the eyes, sometimes surmounted with white—from Sene-
gal.
Simia ethiops, L.; Buff. XIV, 323-Fred. Cuv. 24. (The
Collared Mangabey.) A chocolate brown above; below and
the nape of the neck, whitish ; on the head a cap or coif of a
lively red; eye-lids white. Buffon says it is from Madagascar,
and Hasselquist from Senegal; and in fact Sonnerat declares,
there are no monkeys in Madagascar.
Simia fuliginosa, Geoff.; Buff. XIV, 323 Fred. Cuv. 25.
(The Mangabey.) A chocolate brown, uniform above, fawn-
coloured below; eye-lids white. Buffon says it is from Mada-
gascar, and he believes it to be a variety of the preceding.
Simia sabea, Lin.; Buff. XIV, 373; Fred. Cuv. 19. (The
Green Monkey.)(2) It is greenish above, whitish beneath; face
(¥) Cercopithecus, i. e. tailed monkey, a name used by the Greeks.
(2) Callithrix, Pliny, 1. 8, c. 54, is the name of an Ethiopian Monkey, furnished
with ‘beard and a tufted tail, probably the Ouanderow. Buffon arbitrarily applied
it to this species.
QUADRUMANA. 61
black; the tufts on the checks yellowish; tip of the tail yellow.
From Senegal. |
Simia faunus, Gm.; Malbrouc, Buff. XIV, 293 Simia cy-
nosuros, Scopol.; Schr. pl. 14, C3 Fred. Cuy. pl. 22, var.
of the callithrix; Audeb. 4th fam. 2d sect. pl. 5.(1) Greenish
above; limbs ash-coloured ; face flesh-coloured ; no yellow on the
tail ; one black, and one white band over the eye-brows ; scro-
tum of a beautiful ultramarine.
Simia erythropyga, Fred. Cuy. pl. 21, (The Vervet) differs
from the Malbrouc in the scrotum, which is surrounded with
white hairs, the anus with red ones; and from the Grivet,
(S. grisea) Fred. Cuv. 21, by a green scrotum, encircled with
fawn-coloured hairs.
Simia melarhina, Fred. Cuv. pl. 18.3 Buff. XIV, pl. 10. “(The
Talapoin.) Greenish above; tufts of the cheek yellowish; a
black nose, in the middle of a flesh-coloured face.
Sim. mona and §. monacha, Schreb.; Buff. XIV, 363; Fred.
Cuy..13. (The Mona.) Body brown, limbs black, the breast,
insides of the arms, and circumference of the head whitish ;
black band across the forehead ; a white spot at each side of the
root of the tail.
Sim. diana, Lin.; Exquima, Marcgr. ;(2) Audeb. 4th fam. sec.
2, pl. 6, and Buff. Supp. VII, 20. (The Roloway.) Blackish,
speckled with white above, beneath white; crupper of a pur-
plish red; face black, surrounded with white; a little white
beard on the chin.
Sim, cephus, Lin.; Buff. XIV, 34; Fred. Cuv. 17. (The
Moustache.) Ashy-brown; a yellow tuft before each ear; a
clear blue band, resembling a reversed chevron, on the upper lip.
S. petaurista, Gm.; Audeb. 4th fam. sec. 2, pl. 133 Fred.
Cuy. pl. 16. (The Vaulting Monkey.) Olive-brown above,
grey below ; visage blue; nose white ; a white tuft before each
ear 3 a black moustache.
S. nictitans, Gm.; Audeb. ib. XIV; Fred. Cuv. 13. (The
White-nosed Monkey.) Black or brown, speckled with white $
white nose; face black; circumference of the lips and the eyes
reddish.
These last five species, all small, beautifully variegated in
(1) The Cercop. barbatus of Clusius, which Linn. cites as an example of his faunus,
is rather an Ouanderow than a Malbroue.
(2) The figure annexed to the description of the Eaguima in Marcgrave is that
of an Ouarine, and that of the Exquima is joined to the description of the Ouarine
or Guariba. ‘This transposition has produced many errors in synonymes.
62 MAMMALIA,
colour, and of a mild and gentle disposition, are very common
in Guinea.(1)
SEMNOPITHECUS, Fred. Cuv.
Differs from the Long-tailed Monkeys, by having an additional
small tubercle on the last of the inferior molares. They inhabit
eastern countries, and their long limbs and very long tail give them
a very peculiar appearance. Their muzzle projects very little more
than that of the Gibbons, and like them, they have callosities on the
buttocks. They appear, likewise, to have no cheek-pouches ; their
larnyx is furnished with a sac. The one longest known is the
Sim. nemeus, L.; Buff. XIV, 413 Fred. Cuv. pl. 12. Re-
markable for its lively and varied colouring; body and arms
grey; hands, thighs and feet black; legs of a lively red; the
tail and a large triangular spot upon the loins, white; face
orange 3 he has a black and red collar, and tufts of yellow hairs
on the sides of the head ; inhabits Cochin China.(2)
Another species is remarkable for the very extraordinary form
of the nose—it is the
S. nasica, Schr.; Buff. Supp. VII, 11 and 12. (The Kahau.)
Yellow, tinted with red; nose’ extremely long and projecting,
in the form of a sloping spatula. This monkey inhabits Borneo,
lives in great troops, which assemble morning and evening, on
the branches of the great trees on the banks of the rivers—its
cry is kahau. It is also said to be found in Cochin China.
S. entellus, Dufres.; Fred. Cuv. pl. 8 and 9. (The Entel-
lus.) A light yellowish grey; black hairs on the eye-brows
and sides of the head, directed forwards. From Upper Bengal.
Is one of the species held in veneration by the Brahmins.
S. melalophos, Raff.; F. C. pl. 7. (The Simpai.) Fur of
a very lively red; beneath white; face blue; a crest of black
hairs reaching from one ear to the other.
S. comata, Desm.; 8. cristata, Raff.; Fr. Cuv. pl. 2. Presbitis
mitrata, Kotzeb. (The Croo.) Fine ash colour below, and the
(1) Pennant has described certain Guenons without thumbs, Sim. polycomos and
Sim. ferruginea, from which Mliger has constructed his genus Colobus, but { have not
yet been able to see them, and for this reason have not mentioned them. M,
Temminck assures us that their head and teeth resemble those of a Semnopithecus.
(2) M. Diard having transmitted to the Museum several Doues from Cochin Chi-
na, it has been proved that they have callosities on the buttocks ; a fact denied
by Buffon, on account of his having seen but one specimen injured by stuffing.
The genus Lasiopyga of Iliger must consequently be suppressed, as it is based on
this error.
QUADRUMANA. 63
tuft of the tail white; black crest on the eye-brows, and the
hairs of the top of the head long and turned up, forming a tuft.
S. maura, L.3 F. Cuy. pl. 10. (The Negro Monkey.) All
black, the young of a brownish yellow. The three latter species
are from the straits of Sunda.(1)
Macacus.(2)
All the animals of this denomination have a fifth tubercle on their
last molares, and callosities and cheek-pouches like aGuenon. The
limbs are shorter and thicker than in a Semnopithecus ; the muzzle
more projecting, and the superciliary ridge more inflated than in
either the one or the other. Though docile when young, they be-
come unmanageable when old. They all have asac which commu-
nicates with the larynx under the thyroid cartilage, and which, when
they cry out, becomes filled with air. Their tail is pendent, and
takes no part in their motions: they produce early, but are not
completely adult for four or five years. The period of gestation is
seven months—during the rutting season the labia pudendi, &c. of
the females are excessively distended.(3) They are generally brought
from India.
Sim. silenus and leonina, L. and Gm.3; Ouanderou, Buff. ;
Audeb. 2d fam. sect. 1, pl. 3. (The Maned Macaque.) Blacks
ash coloured mane and whitish beard which surround the head.
From Ceylon.
Sim. sinica, Gm.;3 Buff. XIV, 30; Fr. Cuv. 30. (The Chinese
Monkey.)
fawn coloured spots, form a band on the small coverts; one at
the tips of the large ones which mounts to the scapulars, and
one at the tips of the secondary quills. The superior part of
the wing is sprinkled with fawn colour. The old birds become
all brown. Thisspecies is common in the Apennines, and other
mountains of the south of Europe; but is rarely seen in the
north; it attacks the weaker animals only. It has been found
sufficiently docile to be employed in falconry, but is said to fly
from and be vanquished by the Sparrowhawk.
It has been thought proper to place among the Eagles a bird
of Eastern Europe—Falco pennatus, Gm.; Col. 33.3; Briss.,
Suppl. pl. 1, which scarcely resembles them in any thing except
the plumed tarsi and pointed feathers of the vertex, but which
is not as large as the Buzzard, and has a beak almost as much
curved; its plumage is fawn coloured spotted with brown, its
feet blue. Very rare in France and Germany.(2)
in pl.
Enl. 409. Finally, the F. Niger, or Plack-backed Eagle of Brown, is merely
a slight difference of age.
(1) Temm. Man. d’Ornith. I, p. 39.
(2) A living specimen, however, was taken near Paris in 1828. M. Temm-
ACCIPITRES. 235
New Holland produces Eagles similar in form to those of
Europe, the tail excepted, which is cuneiform (efagée).(1)
Haurztus, Savig.—The Fisuer Eacrss, Cuv.
The Fisher Eagles have the same wings as the preceding, but only
the upper half of their tarsi invested with feathers, the remainder
being semi-scutellated. They frequent the shores of rivers and of
the sea, and feed chiefly on fish.
F. ossifragus, F. albicilla, and F. albicaudus, Gm. (The Ossi-
fragus and Pygargus.) Form but one species, which atfirst has
a black beak; tail blackish, spotted with white, and the plumage
brownish, with a deep brown streak on the middle of each
feather, (Enl. 112 and 415; Naum. 14; the / ossifragus,) and
which, when older, becomes of a uniform brownish grey, paler
on the head and neck, with an entirely white tail, and the beak
of a pale yellow. (Frisch, Ixx; Naum. 12 and 13—the / albi-
cilla.(2) It generally attacks fish, and is found in the whole
north of the globe.
F. leucocephalus, L.; Enl. 4113 Wilson, IV, xxxvi, and VIL,
ly, 2. (The Bald Eagle.) A uniform deep brown; head and
tail white; beak yellowish, and almost as large as the Common
Eagle of Europe. It inhabits North America, and is continually
occupied in fishing. It appears occasionally in the north of
Europe. When young, the head and body are of a cinereous
brown. It must not be confounded, however, with the old
White-Headed Pygargus.
F. ponticerianus, Gm.; Enl. 416; Vieillot, Gal. 10. (The
Garuda.) Less than a Kite; of a fine lively chesnut red ; head,
neck and breast, white, or pearl grey. It is from India, and is
the Garuda Eagle, which, in the religion of the Bramins, is
sacred to Vishnu.(3)
makes an European species of the Aigle Bonnelli, Col. 288 ; but we have not got
it in all its states,
Add the Griffard, Vaill. Afric. I, (F. armiger, Sh.);—the Malay eagle, (F.
malaiensis, Reinw.) Col. 117;—the Petit Aigle de Senegal, (F. Senegallus, Cuy.)
similar to the Spotted, or Little Eagle of Europe; the nostrils not so round, nume_
rous small, grey bands underneath the tail of the young.—The Petit Migle du Cap,
(F. nzxvioides, Cuv.) variegated with brown fawn colour and blackish.
(1) F. fuscosus, Col. 32.
(2) This change has been verified more than once in the menagerie of the
museum. As to the Little Pygargus, F. Albicaudus; it is merely the male of the
great one, F’. albicilla.
(3) Here should come the Blagre, Vaill. Afric.5, (Fale. blagrus, Sh.) which is pro-
bably the F. leucogaster, Lath. or Aigle oceanique, Col. 49;—the vocifer, Vaill. Af. 4,
(CF. vocifer, Sh.;) the Aigle de Macé of Bengal, (F. macet, Cuy.) Col. 8 and 223;—the
q
f
236 AVES.
Panpion, Savigny.
The Ospreys have the beak and feet of the Fisher Eagles; but their
claws are round underneath, while in other birds of prey they are
grooved or channelled; their tarsi are reticulated, and the second
quill of their wings is the longest. .
Only one species is known, which is found along the shores of
fresh waters in almost every part of the globe, varying but little in
plumage: it is the
Falco haliztus, L.; Enl. 414, and better, Catesby, II; Wils.
V, xxxvii; Vieillot, Gal. ii; Naum. 16. (The Osprey.) A third
smaller than the Ossifragus; white, with a brown mantle; a
brown band descending from the angle of the beak towards the
back; brown spots on the head and neck, also a few on the
breast; the cera and feet, sometimes yellow, and sometimes blue.
The species of the genus
CircarEtus, Vieillot,
Are in a manner intermediate between the Fisher-Eagles, the Os-
preys and the Buzzards. They have the wings of the Eagle and
Buzzard, and the reticulated tarsi of the Osprey.
F. gallicus, Gm.; F. leucopsis, Bechst.; F. brachydactylus,
Tem.; Enl, 413; Naum. 153 Jean le Blane. Superior in size to
the Osprey; the curvature of its beak is more sudden than in
the other Eagles, and the toes are shorter in proportion. It is
brown above, white beneath, with pale brown spots; three light
bands on the tail. Its carriage is rather that of a Buzzard than
of an Eagle, and it feeds chiefly on Frogs and Serpents.
F. ecaudatus, Sh.; Le Bateleur, Vaill. Afric. 7 and 8. An
African species, remarkable for the extreme shortness of its
tail, and its beautifully variegated plumage. The cera of its
beak is red.(1) a
America produces Eagles with long wings, like the preceding
ones, and naked scutellated tarsi, in which a more or less considera-
ble portion of the sides of the head, and sometimes of the throat, is
Aigle aguia, (F. aguia, T.) Col. $02;—the F. ichtyxtus, Horsf. Jav.;—the Milva-
£0 ochrocephalus, Sp. 1, or Chimachima, Azz. or F. degener, lig. We should also
remember that the transition from the Eagles to the Buzzards is effected by insen-
sible gradations.
(1) Add the Crowned Eagle, Azz. (F. coronatus, Tem.) Col, 234;—the Circaéte
du Sénégal, (C. cinereus,) Vieill. Gal. pl. xii;—the Caracara funebra, (F. Nove Ze-
landiz, Lat.) Col. 192 and 224,
¢
ACCIPITRES. 237
destitute of feathers. They have received the common name of
Caracara.(1) Li aig :
F. braziliensis, Gm.; Polyborus vulgaris, Vieillot, Galer. pl.
7; the young, Spix, I. Large as an Osprey; striped trans-
versely, with white and black; feathers long and slender, and
white on the throat; a black calotte slightly elongated into a
crest; the wing covers, thighs, and tip of the tail, blackish.
The most common bird of prey in Paraguay and Brazil.(2)
F. aquilinus, Gm.; Enl. 417 ; Jbycter lewco-gaster, Vieillot, Ga-
ler. 6. Black; the abdomen and inferior coverts of the tail
white; throat, naked and red. The
Harpyia, Cuy.(3)
Or Fisher-Eagles with short wings, are also American Eagles,
whose tarsi are very thick, strong, reticulated, and half covered
with feathers like those of the true Fisher Eagles, from which they
only differ in the shortness of their wings; their beak and claws are
even stronger than those of any other tribe.
The Great Harpy of America; Aigle destructeur of Daudin;
Grand Migle de la Guiane of Mauduit, and probably the Falco
harpyia and the /. cristatus, Lin.; F. Harpyia and imperialis, Sh.
Col. 14.(4) Of-all birds, this possesses the most terrific beak and
claws ; it is superior in size to the common eagle; the plumage
is ash coloured on the head and neck ; the mantle and the sides
of the breast, a blackish brown; whitish above, and striped with
brown on the thighs : it has a black tuft on the back of the head,
formed of long feathers, and when it erects them and removes
those on the cheeks, its physiognomy greatly resembles that of
the Strix ulula, Gm. Its external toe is also very frequently di-
rected backwards, like the thumb. Such are its powers, that
(1) Azzara, Voy, ili, p. 30, et seq.
(2) It is the true Caracara of Marcgrave, though it could never be recognized
from the description. A better one may be found in Azzara. Our own is taken
from nature. The F. cheriway, Jacq. Beyt. p. 15, No. 11, may easily bea variety
from age. Add the Black Caracara, Tem. (F. aterrimus, T.) Col. 37 and 342, or
Daptrius ater, Vieill. Gal. pl. v;—Gymmnops fasciatus, Spix,1V. His Gymnops strigi-
latus is the young of the same.
N. B. It is from my Caracaras that Vieillot has made his genera Darrrivs, Inye-
TER, and Poryzorvs, according to the greater or less extent of the bare spot on
the head.
(3) Vieillot has adopted this genus and name.
(4) It is most certainly the Yzquautzli of Fernandez; but that author greatly ex-
aggerates its size in comparing it to a sheep. Itis also the V. cristatus of Jacq.,
and consequently the Fale. Jacquini of Gmelin.
238 AVES.
it is said to have cleft a man’s skull with its beak; its ordinary
food is the Sloth, and it frequently carries off Fawns.
Morupnus, Cuy.(1)
The Morphni, like the preceding, have wings shorter than the
tail; but their elevated and slender tarsi compel us to separate
them.
Some of them have naked and scutellated tarsi.
F. guianensis, Daud.; Petit Aigle de la Guiane, Maud. Encyc.
It has singular resemblance in colour and crest to the Great
Fisher Eagle of the same country ; but it is not so large, and its
naked and scutellated tarsi sufficiently distinguish it ; the man-
‘tle is blackish, sometimes variegated with a deep grey ; abdo-
men white, undulated more or less strongly with fawn colour;
head and neck sometimes grey, and sometimes white ; the occi-
pital tuft, long and blackish.
F. urubitinga, L.3; Spix, I. Black ; no crest; rump and base of
the tail, white. When young, brown above; fawn coloured, sprin-
kled with brown beneath (Col. 55). This beautiful bird hunts
on inundated grounds.(2)
Others have elevated tarsi feathered throughout.
F. occipitalis, Daud.; Huppart, Vaill. Afr. I, iis Bruce,
Abyss. pl. xxxii. As large as a Crow; black; a long crest or
tuft pendent from the occiput; the tarsi, borders of the wings,
and of the bands under the tail, whitish. Throughout all Africa.
fF. ornatus, Daud.3(3) F. superbus and coronatus, Sh.; Crested
Goshawk, Vaill. Afric. I, xxvi; Spizaetus ornatus, Vieillot,
Galer. 213 digle moyen de la Guiane, Maud. Encyclop.; Booted
Sparrowhawk, Azz. Calotte, and crests black ; sides of the
neck of a bright red ; mantle black, variegated with grey, un-
dulated with white; above, white; flanks, thighs, and tarsi
striped with black ; tail, black, with four grey bands. A beau-
tiful bird of South America, varying from black and white to
a deep brown.(4)
(1) Morphnus, the Greek name foran undetermined bird of prey, It is from my
Morphnus that Vieillot has made his Spizaetes.
(2) The Filol longipes, Ulig.; the Ag. picta, Spix, 1, appear to me to be young
Urubitinge.—Add the igle-autour moucheté, (4g. maculosa,) Veill. Amer. pl. iii,
bis;—the Panema, (.4q. milvordes) Spix, Id.
(S) This is certainly the Urutawrana of Marcgrave; but that author describes it
as being of the size of an Eagle, which is at least one-third too large. The Har-
pyia braccata, Spix, Il, is the young bird of the same species.
(4) Add here, of crested species, the blanchard, Vaill. Afr. 3, (F. albescens, Sh.;)
ACCIPITRES. 239
Finally, America produces birds with beaks similar to the pre-
ceding ones; very short reticulated tarsi half covered with feathers
in front ; wings shorter than the tail, and whose most distinguishing
character consists in their nostrils, which resemble fissures. We
may form them into a small tribe under the name of Cymrvpis, Cuv. .
(1) Such is
F. Cayennensis, Gm. ; Le Petit Autour de Cayenne, Buff. Enl.
4733 Spix, VIII. It has another peculiar character in a small
tooth at the spot where the beak curves. The adult is white,
with a bluish-black mantle, cinereous head, and four white bands
on the tail; in the young bird the mantle is variegated with
brown and red, and the head is white, with some black spots.(2).
Astur, Bechst.—DarpEtion, Savig.
The Goshawks, which form the second division of the Ignobles,.
like the last three tribes of Eagles, have wings shorter than their tail;
but their beak is curved from its base, as in all those which are to
follow. We particularly designate as Gosuawks those which have
rather short and scutellated tarsi.
F. palumbarius, L.; Enl. 418 and 4613; and the young £. galli-
narius, Gm. Enl. 425; and Frisch, LXXII; Naum. 17 and
18.(3) (The Common Goshawk.) The only species in France;
brown above, with white eye-brows; white beneath; the adult
transversely striped with brown; longitudinally sprinkled when
young; five browner bands on the tail. It equals the Gerfalcon
in size, but not in courage; always stooping obliquely upon its
prey. Falconers, however, sometimes use it for the weaker kinds
of game. Common in hills and low mountains.
Among foreign Goshawks, we may remark that of New Hol-
land, Falco Nove Hollandiz, White, Voy. p. 250, which is
very often entirely of a snow white; but it seems that it is a va-
—F. tyrannus, Pr. Max. Col. 73 ; L’Autour cristatelle, Temm. Col. 285: of species
without crests, ?’Jutour neigeux, Temm. Col. 127;—/’.Aut. incolore, Id. ib. 134, or
Falco lineatus, Horsf. Java.
(1) Cymindis, the Greek name for an undetermined bird of prey.
(2) I am not sure whether it is not a young Cymindis that is represented in the
Buse mantelée, (F. palliatus, Tem.) Col. 204, very different from that which has
the same French name, Col. 437.
Add the F. hamatus, Wig. Col. 61 and 231, F. deucopygus, Spix, I, the F.
uncinatus, Id. Col. 103, 104, 105. These birds vary greatly in colour with age.
N. B. The Gottingen Eagle, (F. glaucopis, Merrem. Beytr. H, pl. vii, ) is a Com-
mon Buzzard. The White Eagle (F. albus, Sh.; John White, Voy.) isa Goshawk.
(3) Also probably F. gyrfalco, F. gentilis, Gm. ;—so badly determined were the
birds of prey at the period of the first edition.
240 AVES.
riety of a bird of the same country, which is ash coloured above,
white beneath, with vestiges of grey undulations. (1)
We may also approximate to the Goshawks some American birds
with short wings and tarsi; the latter, however, reticulated.
#. cachinnans, L.; Nacagua, Azz.; Vieill. Gal. 19; Spix, II.
(The Laughing Falcon.) So called from its cry; white; the man-
tle and a band which extends from the circumference of the eye
to the neck, where it joins a corresponding one on the opposite
side, brown; brown and white bands on the tail. From the
marshes of South America, where it feeds on Reptiles and Fish.(2)
The name of Sparrownawsk, (Nisus, Cuv.) is generally appro-
priated to those whose tarsi are higher and scutellateds; but the tran-
sitions from one division to the other are almost insensible. j
F. nisus, L.; Epervier Commun, Enl. 412 andj467; Naum. 19,
20. (The Common Sparrowhawk.) Coloured like the Goshawk,
but its legs are longer, and it is a third less in size. It is employ-
ed however by falconers. The spots beneath on the young bird
red and arrow-shaped, or like elongated tears—the feathers of —
its mantle are also edged with red.
There are foreign species still smaller3(3) but there are some
also much larger.
F. musicus, Daud.; Faucon chanteur, Vaill. Afric. xxvii. As
large as the Goshawk; cinereous above; beneath, and the rump,
white, streaked with brown; brown, varied with red; when
young. Found in Africa, where it pursues partridges and hares,
and builds on trees. The only bird of prey known that sings
agreeably.(4)
(1) Other foreign goshawks, F. poliogaster, Tem. Col. 264 and 295;—F-. trivirga-
tus, Tem. Col. 303;—F. leucauchen, Tem. Col. 306 ;—F. radiatus, Lath. Col. 123,
Aut. poliosome, Quoy and Gaym. Voy. de Freycin. pl. xiv ;—~F /eucorrhous, 1b.
pl. xiii; —F. wnicinctus, Tem. col. 313. These three last, in shape, closely resemble »
the urubitinga. The F. pennsylvanicus, Wils. IV, liv, 1 ;—the F. borealis, L. Vieill.
Am. pl. xiv, bis; Wils. li, 1 ;—/. leverianus, Wils. lii, 2;—F. striolatus, T. Col.
87 and 294, or Asturine cendrée, Vieill. Gal. 20 ;—F. monogrammicus, T. Col. 314;
—F. Dussumiert, T. Col. 308 and 386. The latter conduct us insensibly to the
Sparrowhawks.
N. B. The F. cxrulescens forms the genus Hrurax of Vigors: the species with
two teeth, as the bidentatus, &c. or the Bivens of Spix, are the Harracus of the
same gentleman.
(2) Here comes the F. melanops, Lath. Col. 105. It is from this subdivision that
Vieillot has made his Herp raoTuenss.
(38) As the Gabar, Vaill. Afr. 33, (#. Gabar, Sh.) Col. 122 and 140;—the F. mi-
nullus, Sh.
(4) Other Sparrow-Hawks foreign to Europe: The Mixed Lead-colowred Buzzard,
Azz. No. 67, (F. hemidactilus,T.) Col. 3 and 91; Fale. magnirostris, Enlum. 460,
4 il I
ACCIPITRES. 241
Mitvus, Bechstein.
The Kites have short tarsi, and weak toes and nails, which, added
to a beak equally disproportioned to their size, render them the
most cowardly species of the whole genus; they are distinguished
by their excessively long wings, and their forked tail, which give
them great powers of flight.
Some of them have very short tarsi, which are reticulated and half
invested with feathers above, like the last small tribe of eagles (the
Exvanus, Savigny). Such are,
Falco melanopterus, Daud.; Le Blac, Sav. Eg. Ois. pl. 2, f. 2;
Vaill. Afr. xxxvi and xxxvii; Bonap. Am. II, xi, 1. As large
as a Sparrowhawk; plumage soft and silky; tail but slightly
forked ; cinereous above ; white beneath; the small wing coverts
blackish : the young is brown, varied with fawn colour. This
bird is common from Egypt to the Cape, and appears to be
found in India, and even in America.(1) Insects are almost its
only game.
F. furcatus, L.; The fork-tailed Kite, Catesb. iv; Wils. li, 2 3
Vieillot, Am. 10. White ; wings and tail black ; the two exter-
nal quills of the latter very long ; larger than the preceding.
It attacks reptiles.(2) ‘
Kires, properly so called,
Have stronger and scutellated tarsi.
F. milvus, L.; Milan commun, Enl. 422 ; Naum. 31, f.1. Fawn
coloured; quills of the wings, black ; tail, red; of all the birds
of Europe this remains longest and most tranquilly on the wing.
It usually attacks nothing but reptiles.(3)
Col. 86 ;—Falco columbarius, Catesb. 4, Vieill. Am. pl. 2 and Wils. I. xv, 3 ;—
Ep. tachiro, Vaill. Afr. 24, (F. tachiro, Daud.) Col. 377 and 420;—F. cuculoides,
Temm. Col. 110 and 129 ;—F. xanthothoraz, T. Col. 92; F virgatus, T. Col.
109;—F. brachipterus, T. Col. 14 and 116, or F. concentricus, Wlig.;—F. pileatus, Pr.
Max. Col. 205 ;—F. gymnogenys, Col. 307; F. pennsylvanicus, Wils. V1, xlvi,1 ;
very different from the Goshawk so called, Id. pl. liv, and the young, col. 67 ;—P.
velox, Wils. VI, xlv, 1, is the young female of it, according to Charles Bonap. ;—
F. lineatus, Wils. V1, liii, 3 ;—F. hiemalis, Wils. IV, xxxv, 1;—F. striatus,
Vieill. Am. pl. 14 ;—F. niger, Vieill. Gal. 22. See Append. XIII of Am. Ed.
(1) This we consider a mistake of our author; it has never been found in this
country. The bird alluded to has been ascertained by Temminck to be a distinct
species, and is called by him F. dispar. Am. Ed.
(2) Add the F. riocourii, Vieill. Col. 85 ;—the Irregular-tailed Kite, (F. dispar,
Tem.) Col. 319.
(3) Add the Parasite, Vaill. Afr. 22, or the Milan noir, Enl. 472, Naum. 31, f.
2; Savigny, Eg. Ois. pl. ii, f. 1, is the Fale. ater, F. xgyptius, and the Falc. Fors-
Vou. I.—2 F
242 AVES.
Pernis, Cuv. (1)
The Honey-Buzzards, with the weak beak of the Kites, have a very
peculiar character in the space between the eye and the beak, which,
in all the rest of the genus Falco, is naked, and simply furnished
with a few hairs, but in these is covered with a dense plumage, the
feathers of which are cut like scales ; their tarsi are half feathered
above and reticulated : their tail is equal, wings long, and their beak
curved from its base like all those which follow. There is but one
species in Europe.
F. apivorus ; la Bondrée Commune, Enl. 420; Naum. 35, 36.
(The Common Honey-Buzzard.) Somewhat smaller than the Buz-
zard 3 brown above ; variously undulated with brown and whitish
beneath ; the head of the male ash coloured at a certain age. It
pursues Insects, and, principally, Bees and Wasps.
There are some others in foreign countries.
P. cristata, Cuv. (The crested Honey-Buzzard of Java.) All
brown; head, ash coloured, like that of Europe; but it has a
black tail, with a whitish band on the middle ; a brown crest on
the occiput. Brought from Java by M. Leschenault.(2)
Burro, Bechstein.
The Buzzards have long wings; the tail equal; the beak curved
from its base; the space between it and the eyes, naked ; the feet,
strong.
The tarsi of some of them are feathered down to the toes. They
are distinguished from the Eagles by the curving of their beak from
the base, and from the Goshawks, or Goshawk-Eagles, with feather-
_ ed tarsi, by their long wings.
F. lagopus, Gm.;(2) the Booted Buzzard, Frisch, Ixxv;
Vaill. Afr. xviii ; Wilson, IV, xxxiil, 1; Naum. 34. Irregularly
variegated with a darker or lighter brown, and a more or less
yellowish white. It is one of the most universally diffused birds 5
kahlii, Gmel., the F. parasiticus, Lath. and Shaw;—F. mississipiensis, Wils. 111,
xxxy, 1, or the Jctinie ophiophage, Vieill. Galer. pl. 17.
N. B. The Fale. austriacus, Gmel., is the young of the Common Kite.
(1) Pernis or pernes, according to Aristotle, the name of some bird of prey.
N. B. The F-. riocourii forms the genus Navctervs of Vigors.
(2) M. Temminck has figured this bird, (Col. 44,) under the name of Buse piil-
orinque.
(3) Itis the Falco lagopus, Brit. Zool. Ap. vol. i; the Falco communis ¢ leucocepha-
lus, Frisch, 75; the Falco Sancti Johannis, Arct. Zoo}, pl. ix; the Fale. communis
fuscus, F. variegatus, F’. albidus, I’. versicolor, Gm. are merely different states of the
Common Buzzard.
ACCIPITRES. 243
it is found every where, and has almost always been considered
as a variety of some other bird.(1)
But the greater number of Buzzards have naked and scutellated
tarsi. The only one in Europe is,
F. buteo, L.3 la Buse Commune, En). 419; Naum. 32, (The
Common Buzzard.) Brown; belly and throat more or less un-
dulated with white; the most noxious and common bird of
prey in Europe. It remains the whole year in the forests,
souses upon its prey from the top of a tree, and destroys much
game.(2)
Some species are crested.
Le Bacha, Vaill. Afric. pl. xv. Size of the preceding ;
brown ; small, white, round spots on the sides of the breast,
and on the abdomen ; a black and white crest ; a broad white
band on the middle of the tail. A very savage bird of Africa,
which preys chiefly on the Hyraces.(3)
Circus, Bechstein.
The Harriers differ from the Buzzards in their elevated tarsi, and in
a kind of collar on each side of their neck, formed by the tips of the
feathers which cover their ears.
There are three species in France, which have been multi-
plied by the nomenclaturalists on account of the variety in their
plumage.
F. pygargus, L.3 LaSoubuse, Enl. 443 and 480; Naum. xxxviii,
2, and xxxix, 1 and 2. Brown above; underneath, fawn coloured,
(1) Add the Buse acalotte noire, (F. atricapillus, Cuv.) Col. 79, or the Buteo me-
lanoleucos, Vieill. Galer. 14;—the Black Buzzard (F. niger,) Wils. VI, lili, 1 and
2, which M. Ch. Vonap. thinks is the F. Sanct. Johan. of Pennant.
(2) Addthe Rouw-noir, Vaill. Afr. 16 (F. jackal, Daud. and Sh.);—the Tachard,
Id. 19 (F. tachardus, Sh.);—the Buseray, Id. 20 (F. bursarellus, Sh.);—the Grey
cheeked Buzzard (F. polygenis, Tem.) Col. 325.—the Rrown buzzard, (I. fuscus)
Vieill. Am. 5;—the Tuchiro, Vaill. 24 (#. tachiro, Sh.)\—the Milan Cresserelle,
Vieill. Am. 10, bis, and the young female, Col. 180; a species of which the F.
plumbeus, Spix, VIII, is perhaps the adult, and in which the lateral festoon, in
some individuals, is sharpened into a tooth, although the quills are those of the
ignobles.—The Long-winged Buzzard (F. pterocles, Tem.) Col. 56 and 139.—The
Buse a dos tacheté (F. pzxcilonotos, Cuv.), Col. 9.—La Buse mantelée, (F. lacer-
nulatus, T.) Col. 427.—La buse pale, (F. liventer, 'T.) Col. 438.—La Buse ad queue
ferrugineuse, (But. ferruginicaudus, ) Vieill. Am. 6.
Also, F. borealis, Wils. pl. li, f. 1. Am. Ed.
(3) Add the White-crested Buzzard of India, (F. albidus, 'T.) Col, 19.
N.B. The Buse roussatre, Tem. Col. 25, somewhat approaches to the Harrier
by its elevated tarsi, but is deficient in the collar; the transitions between these
two divisions, also, are almost insensible.
244 AVES.
longitudinally spotted with brown ; the rump white. The Hen
Harvier—Falco cyaneus and F. albicans,(1) En). 450; Naum. xxxix,
1; cinereous, with black wing quills, is merely the male in its
second year. This species builds on the ground, keeps con-
stantly in the fields, flies near the earth, and towards night
hunts rats, young partridges, &c.
F. cineraceus, Montag.; Le Busard Cendré, Naum. 40 ; Vieill.
Galer. pl. 13. More slender than the Soubuse, and with longer
wings; the old male is cinereous; its primary quills, and a
band on the secondary ones, are black ; both male and female,
in the second year, are brown above, white beneath, with brown-
ish streaks on the breast; the whole under part of the young
bird is red. Its habits are much like those of the preceding
species.
fF. rufus, L.; La Harpaye; Enl. 470 ; Naum. 37, 1. Brown-
ish and reddish 3 the tail, and primary quills of the wings, cine-
reous. The busard du marais—Falco cruginosus, Enl. 424 ;
Naum. 38, brown, with a light fawn colour on the head and
breast, is considered as the same bird at a more advanced age ;
but some observers pretend it is a different species. Both of
them keep within reach of water courses, in order to hunt rep-
tiles.(2) Finally, the
SERPENTARIUS, Cuv.—GypocEranvs, Illig.(3)
The Snake-Eater, or Secretary, is an African bird of prey,
whose tarsi are at least double the length of those of the prece-
ding ones, which caused some naturalists to place it among the
(1) It is also the F. communis, F. albus, Frisch, pl. Ixxv; the F. montanus, B,
the F. griseus, Gm. and even his F. bohemicus.
N. B. The M. cresserelle, of Vieillot has become his genus Icrrnta.
(2) Add the Acoli, Vaill. Afr. 31 (F. acoli, Sh.);—the Tehoug, Id. 32, and Son-
nerat, If, 182 (F. melanoleucos).—F. palustris, Pr. Max. Col. 22.—The Frogeater,
Vaill. Afr. 28 (F. ranivorus, Sh.).—The Busard roux, Vieill. Amer. pl. ix, which
this author considers as identical with the #. hudsonius, Edw. 107.—The Busard
@hiver, (Circus hyemalis,) Vieill. Amer. 71, which does not appear to be the F.
hiemalis, Wils. 1V, xxxv, 1.*—The Busard @ croupion blane (Cire. ewropogistus, )
Vieill. Amer. 8.—Probably, also, the /. wliginosus, Edw. 291, belongss to this sub-
genus, but until the changes of plumage, produced by age, are ascertained, it will
be very difficult to determine its species. M. Ch. Bonaparte says that the F. wli-
ginosus is ayoung female of the cyaneus.
(S) M. Vieillot has changed these names into OrnroTuenss, Gal. pl. 260.
* Our author here seems to be in error; the bird figured by Wilson, Vol. 1V,
pl. xxxv, fig. 1, isthe true Falco hyemalis,Gm. Am. Ed.
ACCIPITRES. 245
Grallatorie, or Waders ; but its legs completely invested with
feathers, its hooked and cleft beak, projecting eye-lids, and all
its anatomical details place it in the present order. The tarsus
is scutellated, its toes short in proportion, and the circumfer-
ence of the eye naked ; it has a long stiff crest on the occiput,
and the two intermediate quills of the tail extend much beyond
the others. It inhabits the dry and open grounds in the
vicinity of the Cape, where it hunts reptiles on foot ; its claws
consequently become much worn. Its chief strength lies in the
leg. It is the Falco serpentarius of Gmel. Enl. 7213 Vieill.
Galer. 260. The inhabitants of Martinique have endeavoured to
multiply the breed, in order to destroy the Lance-headed Viper
with which that island is infested.
THE NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY.
Have a large head; great eyes, directed forwards, sur-
rounded by a circle of fringed feathers, the anterior of which
cover the cera of the beak, and the posterior, the opening of
the ear. Their enormous pupil permits the entrance of so
many rays of light, that they are dazzled by that of day.
Their cranium, which is thick, but formed of a light substance,
is excavated by large sinuses, which communicate with the
ear, and which probably assist in strengthening the sense of
hearing ; but the organs of flight are not very vigorous ; their
fourchette is weak ; their feathers being soft, and covered with
a fine down, make no noise in flying. ‘They can direct their
external toe either forwards or backwards. These birds are
chiefly on the wing during twilight, and when the moon shines.
When attacked in the day time, they do not fly off, but stand
more erect, assume odd postures, and make the most ludicrous
gestures.
Their gizzard is tolerably muscular, although their prey is
wholly animal, consisting in mice, small birds, and insects;
but it is preceded by a large crop; their ceca are long and
wide at bottom, &c. Small birds have a natural antipathy to
them, and frequently assemble from all quarters to attack
them. They form but one genus,
Strix, Lin.
Which may be divided by their tufts, the size of their ears, the extent
ee
246 AVES.
of the circle of feathers which surrounds their eyes, and some other
characters.
Those species which have a large and complete disk of fringed
feathers round the eyes, itself encircled by a ring or collerette of
scaly feathers, between which is a large opening for the ear, are
further removed, as to form and habits, from the diurnal birds of
prey, than those in which the ear is small, oval, and covered by
fringed feathers, which spring from under the eye. ‘Traces of these
differences may be seen even on the skeleton. Among the first spe-
cies we will particularize,
Ortus, Cuv.
The Horned Owls, or those which have two tufts of feathers on
the forehead, (vulg. horns,) which they can erect at pleasure; the
conch of whose ear extends in a semicircle from the beak to the
top of the head, and is furnished in front with a membranous oper-
culum. Their feet are feathered down to the nails. Suchin Europe
are the
Str. ascalaphus, Savig. Eg.; Brit. Zool. tab. B, 3. A fourth
larger than the common one, and like it, fulvous spotted with
brown, and vermiculated on the wings and back; but the belly
transversely striped with narrow lines, and the crests or tufts
very short. It properly belongs to Africa, but is sometimes
seen in Europe.(1)
Str. otus, L.; Moyen Duc, Buff.; Frisch, lxxxix; Brit. Zool.
tab. B, iv, f. 13 Naum. 45, 1. (The Common Owl.) Fawncolour-
ed, with longitudinal brown spots on the body and underneath
wings and back vermiculated with brown ; horns half the length
of the head ; eight or nine bands on the tail.
Str. ulula and Str. brachyotos, Gm.; Moyen Duc a huppes
courtes, Enl. 438 3 Frisch, c ; Naum. 45, 23 Brit. Zool. tab. B,
iv, f. 2; Wils. IV, xxxiii, 3. As to colouring, nearly similar
to the preceding; back, not reticulated; narrow longitudinal
lines on the belly, and four or five brown bands on the tail.
The tufts or horns are only found on the male, and are so small
and so seldom erected, that this bird was for a long time left
among the species without tufts, and even formed two species.
Found almost every where.(2)
(1) Witness the one represented in Brit. Zool. whose figure has so much em-
barrassed the naturalists.
(2) Add the American Owl, (Str. mexicana,) Gm. or Str. clamator, Vieill. Am.
20, or Str. longirostris, Spix, 1X, which only differs from our Common Owl in the
greater blackness of the spots.—The Hibou tacheté du Cap, (Str. africana, T.)
ACCIPITRES. 247
We may reserve the name of
Uxuta, Cuv.
Or the Howlers, for those species which have the beak and ears of
the Otus, but not the horns. There are none such in France, but
they are to be found in the north of both continents, viz.
Str. laponica, Gm. Almost as large as the Grand Duc of
France ; above, grey and brown mixed, whitish ; longitudinal
brown grey spots beneath. Inhabits the mountains in the north
of Sweden.(1)
Srrix, Savigny.
The ear as large as in Otus, furnished with a still larger opercu-
lum ; but the elongated beak is only curved near the end, while in all
the other subgenera it is arcuated from the point. They have no
horns ; their tarsi are feathered, but they have only hairs on the toes.
The mask formed by the fringed feathers, which surround the eyes,
has a greater extent, and renders their physiognomy more singular
than that of any other nocturnal bird.
The species common in France, Str. flammea, L.; Enl. 440 ;
Frisch, Ixxxxvii, Naum. 47, 2, appears to be diffused over the
whole globe. The back is shaded with a fawn and an ash co-
lour, or brown, prettily picked in with white points, each of
which is enclosed by two black ones ; the belly is sometimes
white, sometimes fawn coloured, with or without brown spots.
It builds in steeples, towers, &c., and is particularly considered
by the vulgar as a bird of ill omen.(2)
Syryium, Savigny.
The mask and collerette of the preceding ; but the conch is re-
duced to an oval cavity which does not extend to half the height of
the cranium ; they have no aigrettes, and the feet are feathered down
to the nails.
Str. aluco and stridula, L.; Chat-huant, Chouette des bois, &c.;
Col. 56, or Str. maculosa, Vieill. Gal. 23—The Hibou @ gros bec, (Str. macrorhyn-
chos, T.) Col. 62.—The Hibou @ joues blanches, (Str. leucotis, T.) Col. 6.—The
Yellow-cheeked Owl, (Str. otus,) Wils. VI, li, 3, differs from the Otus of Europe.—
The Spotted Owl of America, (Str. nevia, Lath.) Wils. III, xix, 1, of which the Sér.
asio, Id. IV, xlii, 1, is probably the young bird, or the female.
(1) Add the Chouette grise du Canada, (Str. nebulosa, Gm.) Vieill. 17, Wils. IV,
XXXlil, 2.
(2) Add Str. badia, T. Col. 54.—-N. B. The Chouette d queue fourchue du Bré-
sil, Col. 432, does not appear to differ from the Str. flammea, except in the varia-
tion caused by stuffing.
248 ' AVES.
Enl. 441, 437; Frisch, Ixxxxiv, Ixxxxv, Ixxxxvi; Naum. 46 and
47,1. Somewhat larger than the Common Ow]; covered with lon-
gitudinal brown spots, transversely denticulated on the sides;
white spots on the scapulars, and towards the anterior edge of
the wing. The ground of the plumage in the male is greyish,
in the female reddish, from which circumstance they were con-
sidered for a long time as two species.(1) They build in the
woods, frequently lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, and keep
themselves in the hollows of old trees. (2)
We reserve the name of
Buso, Cuv.
Or Ducs, for those species, which, with as small a conch as that
of the Syrnii, and the disk of feathers less strongly marked, are fur-
nished with tufts. Those which are known have large feet feathered
to the nails; such is
Str. bubo; The Grand Duc of naturalists; Enl. 4343; Frisch,
Ixxxxiii; Naum. 44. The largest of the nocturnal birds; fawn
_ coloured, with a brown streak, and lateral points on each fea-
ther; the brown predominates above; fawn coloured underneath;
tufts almost entirely black.(3)
Tue Turrep Cuoverss, Vaill. Afr. xliii,
Are mere Ducs, whose tufts more widely separate, and placed
farther back, can scarcely be elevated above a horizontal line. They
are found in both hemispheres. (4)
Nocrva, Savigny.
Neither tufts, nor an open or deeply set conch; opening of the ear
oval, and hardly any larger than in other birds; the disk of fringed
(1) The Str. sylvestris, rufa, noctua, alba of Scopoli, andthe Str. soloniensis, which
Gmelin has intercalated in his system, are too undetermined to be considered other
than varieties, and probably of the stridula. It is well to know that in the whole
of this genus the females are redder than the males—by not attending to this, the
species have been improperly multiplied.
(2) Add the Str. pagodarum, Tem. Col. 220.
(3) We cannot admit the Sér. scandiaca, L. whose only foundation is a figure of
Rudbeck, probably taken from a variety of the Grand Duc. Add Str. magellanica,
Enl. 585, from which the S¢r. virginiana, Daud. H, 13, and Wils. Am. VI, I, 1, or
Str. pinicola, Vieill. Am. 19, only differs in being of a more reddish tint. —/Str.
lactea, T. Col. 4.
(4) Str. griseata, Sh.; Vaill. Afr. 43, of Guiana.—Str. strepitans, T. Col. 174, and
of Batavia, 229.
Add Str. cinerea, Gm., Bonap. Am. Orn. pl. xxii, f.2. Am. Ed.
—
ACCIPITRES. 249°
feathers is smaller, and less perfect than in the Bubo, Cuv. Their
relations to the diurnal birds of prey are very evident, even in ets
habits.
Some of them are remarkable for along, cuneiform tail, and have
the toes thickly clothed with feathers; they are the Surnra, Dumer.
It appears that there exist in all the North some closely allied’ spe-
cies or varieties, but imperfectly distinguished under the names of
Str. funerea, hudsonia, uralensis, accipitrina, &c.
The best known species, S¢r. nisoria, Wolf.; Enl. 473; Naum.
42. 2, from the north of the whole globe, is about the size of
the Sparrowhawk; blackish brown above, with small white
spots on the head, which form transverse bars on the scapulars3
transversely striped with brown and white beneath, with ten
transverse white lines on the tail. It hunts more during the
day than the night.
The species from the Uralian mountains, S¢r. wralensis, Pall.
Naum. 42, 1, is nearly as large as the Harfang; brown, with white
spots, above; white, with long brown spots, beneath; five trans-
verse grey bands onthe tail. It also hunts during the day, and
is sometimes seen in Germany. It is probably the Hybris or
Ptynx of Aristotle, 1. ix, c. 12.
The species, called of Acadia, Str. acadica, Naum. 43, 1
and 2; Wils. Am. IV, xxxiv, 1, is also sometimes found there,
but it belongs to the whole north of the globe. It is the small-
est of the Ululz, and is hardly larger than the Common Finch.
It does not fear the light of day, but Vaillant has described one
of these Surniz from Africa, (Choucou, No. xxxviii,) all white
beneath, with fourteen or fifteen lines on the tail, and which,
according to his account, is more nocturnal than the other
Ulule.
There are other Noctuze which have a short tail and feathered
toes. The largest, and in fact the largest of all the nocturnal birds
without tufts, is
Sir. nyctea, L.; Le Harfang, Enl. 458; Wils. IV, xxxii, 1;
Naum. 41. (The Snowy Owl.) This bird almost equals the
Grand Duc in size. Its snow-white plumage is marked with
transverse brown spots, which disappear with age. It inhabits
the north of both continents, builds upon high rocks, and pur-
sues Hares, Grouse, &c.(1)
There are some smaller species, such as
Str. tengmalmi, Gm.; Str. dasypus, Bechst.; Naum. 48, f. 2
() The Chouette blanche, Vaill. Afric. 45, is only an old Harfang. The alleged
difference in the proportions depends upon the stuffing.
Vou. IL.—2 G
‘250 AVES.
and 3. Back brown, sprinkled with white spots; underneath
paler, with larger white spots ; four white lines across the tail;
lives in the woods. The Str. passerina, Meyer and Wolf, is its
female.
*
The greater number, however, of these small species have only a
few scattered hairs on the toes, such as
Str. passerina, Gm.; Str. pygmza, Bechst. Enl. 439; Naum.
48, 1. Somewhat smaller than the preceding, but with nearly
the same plumage. The tail a little shorter, and with five larger
pale bars: it lives in old walls. There, are several closely allied
species in America, the Indies, &c.(1)
Some of these naked-toed Noctuz are nearly as large as the Hu-
lotte. Cayenne produces several beautiful species, and particularly
the three following: » i
Str. cayennensis, Gm.; Enl. 442. A fawn-coloured ground,
irregularly, transversely, and finely striped with brown.
Str. lineata. Sh.; the Huhul, Vaill. Afr. XLI.; Str. lineata, Sh.;
Str. albomarginata, Spix, X, a. Transversely striped with white
on a black ground; four white lines on the tail. So little does
it fear the light, that it is styled the Diurnal Chouette. The
size of these two species is that of the common Chouette of
France.
Str. torquata, Daud.; Vaill. Afr. XLII. Brown above; whitish
beneath; circumference of the eyes and a band on the breast,
brown. It is larger than the Chat-huant, and is the Nacurutu
without tufts of Azzara.
There are others again in America, whose tarsi are naked as well
as their toes, the Cheveche nudipéde for instance—Str. nudipes, Daud.
Vieill. Amer, XVI. Finally, we have
Scops, Savigny,
Which, in addition to the prominent ears, imperfect disk and
naked toes of the preceding, have tufts similar to those of a Bubo. —
There is one of them in France, Sr. scops, Enl. 436; Naum.
43, 3, hardly as large as a Thrush, with cinereous plumage,
more or less shaded with fawn colour; prettily variegated with
little narrow black streaks, and with transverse vermicular grey
(1) Str. brama, T. Col. 68, which scarcely differs from the passerina.—Str.
Sonnerati, Col. 1.—Str. urucurea, 1d. of which the Str. grallaria, ld. Col. 136, is
the female. —Str. castanoptera, Hoff. or Str. spadicea, Reinw. Col. 98.—Str. pumila,
Illig. or cabouré of Azz. Col. 39, of which the Str. passerinoides, Col. 344, is pro-
bably the male.—Str. ferruginea, Pr. Max. Col. 199.—Str. hirsuta, T. Col. 289.—
Str. occipitalis—The Str. maugei, Col. 46, is already tolerably large.
»
“ie,
ACCIPITRES. 251
lines; a suite of white spots on the scapulars, and six or eight
feathers in each tufts; a beautiful little bird.(1)
Certain large species have the legs naked as well as the
toes.(2)
ORDER ILI.
PASSERIN &.
This order is the most numerous of the whole class. _ Its
character, at first, seems purely negative, for it embraces all
birds which are neither swimmers, waders, climbers, rapa-
cious, nor gallinaceous. By comparing them with each other,
however, we soon perceive a great mutual similarity of struc-
ture, and particularly such insensible transitions from one
genus to another, that it is extremely diflicult to separate them
into subdivisions.
They neither have the violence of the birds of prey, nor
the fixed regimen of the gallinacee, nor of the water-birds 5
insects, fruit, and grain constitute their food, which consists
the more exclusively of grain, in proportion to the largeness
of their beak, and of insects, as it is the more slender. Those
which have strong beaks pursue even small birds.
Their stomach is a muscular gizzard. They have, gene-
rally, two very small ceca. Among them we find the singing
birds, and the most complicated inferior larynx. 4
The proportional length of their wings, and their power of
flight are as various as their habits.
(1) We can find no difference between the Str. zorca of Cetti, the Sir. carniol-
ica of Scopoli, the Str. pulchella of Pallas and the Scops; these gentlemen must
have considered their birds as distinct, because Linnzus described the tuft of his
as consisting of a single feather. Add the S¢. nudipéde, (Bub. nudipedes,) Vieill.
Amer. 22.—The Str. atricapilla, T. Col. 45, or Str. crucigera, Spix, 1X.—The Str.
noctula, T. Col. 99. ;
(2) The Str. ketupa, TV. Col. 74, and the Sir. Leschenauldt, 1d. Col. 20, will be
found at most to form but one species.
252 AVES.
‘The adult sternum usually has but one notch on each side
of its lower edge. There are two, however, in Coracias,
Alcedo, and Merops, and it is totally wanting in Cypselus and
Trochilus. :
Our first division is founded upon the feet; we then have’
recourse to the beak.
The first and most numerous comprehends those genera in
which the external toe is united to its fellow by one or two
phalanges only,
FAMILY I.
DENTIROSTRES.
In this family the beak is emarginate on the sides of the
point. It is in this family that we find the greatest number of ~
insectivorous birds, though almost all of them likewise feed
on berries and other soft fruits. | '
The genera are determined by the general form of the
beak, which is strong and compressed in Lanius and in.
Turdus, depressed in Muscicapa, round and thick in Tanagra,
slender and pointed in Motacilla; but the change from one —
of these forms to the other is so gradual, that it isan extremely
difficult matter to fix the limits of the genera.
Lantus, Lin.
The beak conical or compressed, and more or less hooked at the
point. 4
‘
Lantus, properly so called.
The true Shrikes have a beak triangular at base, and compressed
on the sides.
Shrikes live in families, and fly irregularly and precipitately,
uttering shrill cries; they build on trees, lay five or six eggs, and
take great care of their young. They have a habit of imitating, on
the spot, a part of the songs of such birds as live in their vicinity.
The upper part of the females and of the young is marked with
fine transverse lines. °
Some of them have the upper mandible arcuated; those in which
its point is strong and much curved, and in which the notch forms
PASSERINE. 253
a small tooth on its sides, are so courageous and cruel, that many
naturalists have thereby been induced to place them among the birds
of prey. In fact, they pursue small birds, and successfully defend
themselves against the larger ones, even attacking the latter when it
is necessary to remove them from their nests.(1)
There are four or five species of this subdivision in France.
Lanius excubitor, L.; Enl. 445; Naum. 49. As large as a
thrush; ash coloured above; white beneath; wings, tail, and a
band around the eye, black; some white on the scapulars, the
base of the wing-quills, and on the external edge of the lateral
quills of the tail. It remains in France the whole year.
In the south of Europe there is a race, or perhaps a species of a
deeper colour, with a vinous tint underneath—Zan. meridionalis,
Temm. There are others in America still more closely allied to
it.(2)
Lan. excubitor minor, Gm.; Enl. 32, 13; Lan. minor, Naum. 50.
(The Little Shrike.) Somewhat smaller than the Common
Shrike, the beak shorter and thicker, wings and tail similar;
cinereous above; reddish on the belly; the black bands of the
eyes united, on the forehead, in a large bandeau. A very dis-
tinct species.
Lan. collurio-rufus, and Lan. pomeranus, Gm.;3 Enl. 9, 2;
Lan. rutilus, Lath.; Lan. ruficollis, Sh.; Lan. rufus, Naum.
51. (The Red Shrike.) The bandeau, wings and tail of the
preceding; not quite so large; top of the head and neck, a
vivid red; back black; the scapulars, belly and rump, white.
Lan. collurio, Gm.; Enl. 313 Naum. 52. (The Butcher Bird.)
Still smaller; top of the head and rump ash coloured; back and
wings fawn coloured; whitish above; a black band over the
eye; wing-quills black edged with fawn colour, those of the tail
black, the lateral ones white at base. It destroys small Birds,
young Frogs and great numbers of Insects, which it sticks upon
the thorns of bushes, in order to devour them at leisure, or to
find them again when wanted.
The last three species leave France during the winter.
Other countries have several of these Shrikes with arcuated beaks,
(1) It is from this first subdivision that M. Vicillot has made his genus Lanius,
Gal. pl. cxxxy. ‘hay
(2) Lan. carolinensis, Wils., 1, xxii, 5,and his Lan. excubitor, 1, v. 1, which he
considers as the same. M. Ch. Bonaparte makes two species of them, and refers
them to the Lan. ludovicianus, and Lan. septentrionalis of Gm.; or to the Lan.
ardesiacus and borealis of Vieillot, Am. 51 and 50; we must confess, however, that
there is but little resemblance between these different figures.
254 ; | AVES.
the points of which latter diminish, and become weak, according to
the species so gradually, that it is impossible to fix a limit between
this subgenus and the Thrushes.(1)
' There are other Shrikes, whose superior mandible is straight, and
only hooked at the tip. Their form passes by insensible gradations
to that of the Fauvets and other Motacillz.(2)
(1) The species with the strongest beaks are, for instance: the Cape-Shrike,
(Lan. collaris, Gm.); Enl. 477, 1; Vaill. Afric. pl. lxi, lxii—The Boubou, Vaill.
68 (Lan. boulboul, Sh.).—The Brubru, Vaill. 71 (Lan. capensis, Sh.).—La Petite
Pie-gr. de Madag. (Lan. madagascariensis, Gm.) Enl. 299.—La Petite Pie-gr.
bleue (Lan. bicolor, Gm.}; Enl. 298.—La Pie-gr. dela Louisiane, (Lan. americanus,)
Enl. 397.—The Sourciroua, Vaill. 76, 2, or the Tangara verderoux of Buff. ( Tana-
gra guianensis, Gm.).—The Black-Headed Shrike of the Sandwich Islands, (Zan.
melanocephalus, Gm.) Lath. Syn. 1, 165.—La Pie-gr. d queue pointue, (Lan. pyrr-
honotos,) Vieill. Gal. 135.
The genus Lanro of Vieill. is founded on an arcuate-beaked Shrike; the edges
of whose upper mandible are somewhat angular. It is the Twngara mordoré of
Buff. Enl. 809, 2 (Lan. atricapilla, Gm.). |
' Among those species most nearly allied to the Thrushes, we may admit the Mus-
cicapa tamnophiloides, Spix, 26, 1.—L’Oliva of Vaill. 75 and 76,1 (Lan. oliva-
ceus, Sh.)—The Gonolec, (Lan. barbarus, Gm.); Enl. 56, Vaill. 169.—Yhe Lan.
gutturalis, Daud. Ann. Mus. IU, 144, pl. xv; or the Pie-gr. Perrin. Vaill. 286.—
Le Merle a plastron noir (Turdus zetlonus, Gm.); En). or the Bacbakiri, Vaill. 67
(Lan. bacbakiri, Sh.).—La Cravatie blanche, Vaill. 115 (Motac. dubia, Sh.).—The
Turdus crassirostris, Gm.; Lath. Syn. U, 34, which is the same as the Tunagra
capensis, Sparm. Carls. pl. xlv, and several others quite as equivocal. It is from
this subdivision, with weak bills, that Vieill. has established his genus Laniarius,
Galer. 143. %
His Vireo only. differs from it in the beak being a little shorter and more slender,
Vir. flavifrons, Vieill. Am. 54, or Muscic. sylvicola, Wils., 1, vii, 3.—V. musicus,
Vieill. 52, or Music. cantatrix, Wils. I, xviii, 6, or Music. noveboracensis, Gm.—,
V. olivaceus, Ch. Bonap., or Museic. oliv. Wils. Ul, xii, 3, or tamnophilus agilis,
Spix, 34, 1.—V-giluus, Ch. Bonap., or Muse. melodia, Wils. V, xlii,2. They lead
us almost directly to the true Fauvets.
(2) Le Blanchot, Vaill. Afr. 285, (Lan. icterus, Cuv.) or Thamnophilus, Vieill. Ga-
ler 139.—The Grand battara, Azz. or Thamnophilus magnus, Pr. Max. or Th. albi-
venter, Spix, 32.—The tchagra, Vaill. 70, (Lan. senegalensis, Spix, Lan. collurio
melanocephalus, Gm.) Enl. 479, 1 and 279, 1.—The Fourmillier huppé, Buff. (Tur-
dus cirrhatus, Gm.) The Pie-gr. a huppe rousse d’Amerique, (Lan. canadensis, Gm. )
Enl. 479, 2, is the female.—The Tachet, Vaill. 77, (Lan. punctatus, Sh.).—The
Pie-gr. rayée de Cayenne (Lan. doliatus) Enl. 297, 2, or radiatus, Spix, 35, 2.—The
Pie-gr. bridée, (Lan. virgatus, Tem.) Col. 256, 1.—The Pie-gr. masquée, (Lan. per-
sonatus, 1d. or Lan. nubicus, Licht.) Col. 256, 2.—The Thamnophilus lineatus,
Spix, 33.—Th. strigilatus, 1d. 36, 2.—Th. melanoceph. 1d. 39, 1—Th. leuconotos,
Ib. 2.
The Pie-gr. rousse de Madag. (Lan. rufus, Gm.) En, 298.
It is also among these straight beaked Shrikes that must be placed the Geaz
longup., Vaill. 42, (Lan. galericulatus, Cuy.), but it leads to the Vanga.
a
<#
iH
aol
PASSERINE. 255
In some of these straight-beaked Shrikes, that organ is very stout,
and its lower mandible much inflated. (1) .
Others, whose beak is straight and slender, are remarkable for
vertical tufts of feathers.(2)
Around these Shrikes, properly so called, some other subgenera,
which differ from them more or less, form natural groups. Such
are the
Vanca, Buff.
Which have a large beak, very much compressed throughout, its
tip much hooked, and that of the inferior mandible bent down-
wards.(3)
Ocyprerus, Cuv.(4)
The beak, conical, rounded, without a ridge, slightly arcuated
towards the end, with a very fine point slightly notched on each
side; the feet rather short, and the wings as long as the tail, and
longer; from which circumstance their flight is rendered similar to
that of the Swallow; but they have the courage of the Shrikes, and
do not fear to attack even the Crow.(5)
Numerous species inhabit the coast and islands of the Indian
L also place here that bird which has been so bandied about by naturalists, the
Merle de Mindanao of Buff. Enl. 627, Turdus mindanensis, Lath and Gm. the
same as their Gracula sawlaris, Little Pie of the Indies, or Dial-bird, Albin. Iil, 17
and 18, Edw. 181, Vaill. Afr. 109 (Sturnus solaris, Daud.)——and even the Terat
boulan (Turdus orientalis), Enl. 273, U1, might be approximated to it, but is also
very closely allied to the Turdoides.
The genus Tuamnoraitus or Battara of Vieillot is formed by one of these
straight beaked Shrikes, but is so badly determined that other authors have refer-
red to it, Vireos, &c.
(1) Lanius lineatus, Leach, Zool. Miscell. pl. vi.—Thamnophilus guttatus,
Spix, 35.
(2) The Geoffroy, Vaill. Afr. 80 and 81, and Vieill. Gal. 142 (Zan. plumatus, Sh.),
of which Vieill. has made his genus Prionors, or Bogadais, Galer. 142 and the
Manicup. Buff. Enl. 707 (Pipra albifrons,Gm.)}, which has nothing more in common
with the Pipra than a somewhat unusual prolongation of the union between the
two external toes. Vieill. has made his genus Pirmys, Galer. 129, from it.
(3) The Vanga, Enl. 228, (Lan. ecurvirostris, Gm.) and new species, such as the
‘V. destructeur, Cuv. Col, 273.—The V. strié huppé, Voy. de Freyc. pl. xviii and
xix, or Thamnophilus Vigorsii, Zool. Journ. Supp. VIL and VIIt.
(4) Ocypterus or oxypterus—rapid wings, pointed wings—the Greek name of
anunknown bird, very applicable to these. It is from this genus that Vieill. has
made his ArTamus. |
(5) Sennerat, Pr. Voy. p, 56.
256 AVES.
Ocean, where they are constantly and rapidly flying about in
pursuit of Insects.(1)
Barira, Cuv.(2)—Cassicans, Buff.
A large conical beak, straight and round at base, which scallops out
‘a circular notch in the feathers on the forehead; round back, tom-
pressed sides, hooked point, and sloped laterally. The nostrils,
small and linear, are not surrounded by a membranous space.
They are large birds of New Holland and its neighbouring
islands, which have been arbitrarily placed in several genera.
They are said to be very noisy and clamorous. They pursue
small Birds.(3)
Cuatypzus, Cuv.
A beak similar to that of the Baritz, but somewhat smaller at base,
and the nostrils pierced in a large membranous space. The species
known are from New Guinea, and are remarkable for their beautiful
tints, which resemble browned steel.
C. paradiszeus, Cuv.; Paradisea viridis, Gm.3; Enl. 634. The
feathers on the head and neck like curled velvet, —which, added
to the lustre of its hues, has caused it to be placed among the
Birds of Paradise.
C. cornutus, Cuv.; Barita Keraudrenit, Less. and Garn. Voy.
de Duperr. pl. 13. Two pointed tufts of feathers on the occi-
puts its trachea forms three circles, before it reaches the lungs.
Psaris, Cuv.(4)—Brcarpes, Buff.
The beak conical, very stout and round at base, but does not scallop
out the feathers on the forehead; the point slightly compressed and
hooked. From South America. The best known species is the
(1) Here come Lan. leucorhynchos, Gm. Enl. 9, 1, the same as Lan. dominicanus,
Sonnerat, Voy. I, pl. xxv.—Lan. viridis, Enl. 32, 1-—Ocyp. cinereus, Val.—Ocyp-
terus fuscatus.—Ocyp. rufiventer. Consult the monography of M. Valenciennes
cn this genus published in the Mem. du Mus. tom. VII, p. 20, pl. 7, 8, 9.
(2) Barita, the Greek name of an unknown Bird. M. Viellot has given to my
Baritx, the name.of Cracrices.
(3) We place here the Cassican, Buff. (Coracias varia, Gm.; Gracula varia,
Sh.) Enl. 628.—Le jltiteur, (Coracias tibicen, Lath. second suppl.; Gracula tibicen,
Sh.) Voy. de Freycin. pl. xx.—Corvus graculinus, J. White; Coracias strepera,
Lath. Ind. Ornith.; Gracula strepera, Shaw; Réveilleur de Isle de Norfolk, Daud. ;
Gr. calybé, Vaill. Ois. de Par. 67; Vicill. Galer. 109, and one species with a taper-
ing tail, Bar. anaphoresis, Temm.
(4) Psaris, the Greek name of an unknown Bird. ‘ Vieill. has changed it into
Tiryra, Galer. 134, 1; Spix into Pachyrhynchus, Av. Brasil, 44.
4
PASSERINE. 257
. Lanius cayanus, Gm.; Enl. 304 and 307; Vieill. Galer. 1345
| Spix, 44, 1. Cinereous; head, wings and tail, black. Its habits
are those of the Shrikes.(1)
*
Gravcatus,(2) Cuv.—Cuovucanis, Buff.
The beak less compressed than in the Shrikes; the upper ridge
‘is sharp »pointed, and regularly arcuated, the commissure slightly
so. The feathers which sometimes cover their nostrils have caused
them to be referred to the Ravens, but the emargination of their
beak removes them from that genus. From the remotest parts of
the Indian Ocean.(3)
Beruytus, Cuv.(4)
The beak stout, short, arched every where, slightly compressed
near the point.
One species only is known, which, as to shape and colour, is
a miniature resemblance of the common European Magpie.(5)
Faucuncuuus, Vieill.
The beak compressed, nearly as high as it is long; the upper ridge
arcuated.
"The species known,—Lanius frontatus, Lath.; Second Suppl.
Col. 77; Vieill. Galer. 137, is of the size of the Finch, and
(1) Buffon has improperly extended the name of Bécarde, (Psaris, C.) to a
Tyrannus (Lan. sulfuratus), and to a Shrike closely allied to the Thrushes
(Lan. barbarus). Add Pachyrhynchus semifasciatus, Spix, 44, 2, which is the
Psaris Cuvieri, Swains.—the Psaris er ythrogenis, Selby, Zool. Jour. I, p. 484.—
The Pachyrhynchus, niger, Cuvieri, cinerascens, rufescens, ape 45 and 46, have
a smaller beak but the same form.
(2) Graucalus, the Greek name of an ash-coloured Bird; three out of four of
these being of this colour. Vieillot confounds them with his Coracrna, which
comprize the Gymnoderus and Gymnocephalus, of which we shall speak hereafter.
(3) Corvus papuensis, Gm.; Enl. 630; Vieill. Galer. 113.—Corvus nove Guinex,
Enl. 629.—Corvus melanops, Lath. Rollier 2 masque noir, Vaill., Ois. de Par., &c.
86.—Another, entirely of a brilliant violet of browned steel, the female greenish,
which forms the genus Prroin of Temm., or Prironornyncuvs of Kuhl, founded
on the head feathers being more like velvet. The genus SpuecorHere Of Vieill.,
Galer. 147, Choucari vert of the Voy. du Freycinet, pl. xxi, only differs from the
others in being’a little more naked about the eye.
(4) Bethylus, the Greek name of an unknown Bird: Vieillot has changed it
into that of Pillurion or C1ssoris.
(5) It is the Pie-griéche, Vaill. Afr. 60, and Vieill. Galer, 140. ZLanzus leveri-
anus, Sh. Lanius picatus, Lath. Uliger makes a Tangara of it. We may approxi-
mate to it the Lan. corvinus, Sh.; Vaill. Afr. 78, the beak of which, however, is
more compressed.
Vor. L.—2H
.
7
258 AVES.
coloured nearly like the Parus major. The feathers on the
head of the male form a tuft. From New Holland.
fe
ParpaLotus, Vieill.
The beak short, but slightly compressed; upper ridge sharp-
pointed, and arcuated; the point emarginate. Very small Birds,
with a short tail. 7
The best known species, Pipra punctata, Sh. Zool. Misc. IIT;
Col. 78; Vieill. Gal. pl. 73, is partly sprinkled with white.
From New Holland.(1)
Muscicapa, Lin.
The Fly-Catchers have a horizontally depressed beak, furnished
a)
=
with hairs at its base, and the point more or less hooked and emar- |
ginated. Their general habits are those of the Shrikes, and they
live on small Birds or Insects, according to their size. The weakest
of them gradually approach the form of the Wagtails. We divide
them as follows:
Tyrannus, Cuv.(2)
The Tyrants have a very stout, long, straight beak; the upper
ridge blunt; the point curved suddenly into a hook. They are
American Birds, as large as the European Shrikes, and equally
courageous. They defend their young even from the Eagle, and
drive all Birds of prey from their nest. The larger species feed on
small Birds, and do not always despise carrion.(3)
(1) Add Pardal. ornatus, Temm., Col. 394, 1.—P. percussus, Id. 394, 2. They
lead us to the first subdivision of the Tanaers.
(2) Vieillot has adopted this name and genus, Galer. 133.
(3) The bentaveo, or Spoon-billed Tyrant of Brazil, Enl. 212 (Lanius pitangua,
Gm. ).—Le Tyran a ventre jaune, (Lan. sulfuraceus, Gm.) Enl. 296, the same as
the Garlu or Geai a ventre jaune de Cayenne, (Corvus flavus, Gm.) Enl. 249.— —
The Muse. velata, Spix, 22.—Musc. polyglotta, 1d., 24.—Musc. similis, 1d., 25, of
which his Muse. rufina, Ib. 131, is the young.—The Musc. cinerea, Spix, 26, 2.—
Le Tyran 4 ventre blanc, (Lan. tyrannus, Gm.) Enl. 537 and 676, Vieill. Galer.
153.— Muse. cinerascens, Spix, 22.—Le T'yran @ queue rousse, (Muse. audax, Gm.)
Enl. 453, 2; Wils. Am. II, xiii, 1—Le Petit tyran, (Musc. ferox, Gm.), Enl. 571,
1, or Muse. furcata, Spix, 18. The Musc. vetula, Spix, 18.—Le T'yran a queue
fourchwe de Cayenne, (Muse. tyrannus, Gm.), En]. 471, 2.—Le F. a q. f. du Mexique;.
(Muse. forficata, Gm.) Enl. 677... The Fork-Tailed Tyrant of Brazil, (Muse. longi-
cauda, Spix, 17) Zool. Journ. H, pl. iv—Le Tyran @ huppe verte (Muse. crinita,
Gm.) Enl. 569; Wils. Am. H, xiii, 2?
Add also Musc. verticalis, Am. Orn. Bonap. I, pl. ii, f. 2. dm. Ed.
PASSERINE. 259
» Muscipera, Cuv.
The beak long, much compressed, double its height in breadth,
even at its base; the ridge very obtuse, sometimes however very
vacute; the edges slightly curved; the point and emargination weak;
long sete or mustachios at its base.
They are too powerless to capture any thing but Insects, and sev-
eral of them are ornamented with long tail feathers, beautiful crests
on the head, or at least with brilliant colours. The greater num-
ber inhabit Africa and the Indies.(1)
Some species allied to the Muscipete, (PLaryRuyNcuus,) are dis-
tinguished by a still broader and more depressed beak.(2)
(1) We should first of all distinguish the Roz des Gobe-mouches, Buff. (Todus regius,
Gi.) Enl. 289. Then we have the crested species, and which have long feathers
in the tail, such as the Moucherolle de paradis (Musc. paradisi and Todus paradisia-
cus, Gm.), Enl. 234. N.B. All these figures represent females; the tail of the
males is much longer.—Le Petit Moucherolle de Paradis or Schet of Madagascar
(Muse. mutata). Two birds which Buffon describes elsewhere under the name
of Vardiole or Pie de paradis.—Then follow those species without crests, whose
tail feathers are somewhat elongated ; The Moucher, Yetapa (Muse. psalura, T.),
Col. 286 and 296, or Muse. risora, Vieill. 131; the Moucher 2 queue de cog; Gallita
of Azz.; Muse. alector, P. Max.; Col. 155, Vieill. 132.—Plathyrh. filicauda,
Spix, 14.
Some species are distinguished by a membranous circle round the eye: Muse.
melanoptera, Gm.; Enl. 567, 3.—M. telescophtalma, Less. and Garn., Voy. de Du-
perr., Zool., pl. xviii.
Others are remarkable for a long, flat, and obtuse beak, similar to that of the
Todies, but it has a notch which is wanting in the true Todies, whose feet also are
differently formed. T° cinereus, Desmar. or T’. melanocephalus, Spix, ix, 2. The
young is, 7’ cinereus, Spix, x, 1 and JT! maculatus, Desm.—T" griseus, Desm.
Finally, a multitude of other species, as the mantelé, Vaill. 151 or Muse. borbon-
ica, Enl. 573, 1.—WM. cristata, 573, 2, and Tchitrec, Vaill., Afr., II, 142, 1.—Musc.
cerulea, Enl. 666, 1.—Todus leucocephalus, Pall., Sp., VI, pl. iii, f. 2, or Muse. dom-
inicana, Spix, 29, 2. M. albiventer, Id. 30, is its female.—T. sylvia, Desm.—Pla-
tyrhinchus chrysoceps, Spix, XI, 2.—Plat. ruficauda, Ib. 1.—Plat. hirundinaceus,
Spix, 13, 1.—Plat. cinereus, Ib. 2.—Musc. barbata, Enl. 830, 1, of which M. xan-
thopygus, Spix, IX, 1, appears to be the female—Musc. coronata, Enl. 675.—The
molenar, Vaill. 160, 1, 2, or M. pistrinaria, Vieill.—The G. m. @ lunettes, Ib. 152,
1.—M. flammiceps, Tem. Col. 144, 3.—M. mystax, Spix, 31.—M. murantia,
Enl. 331, 1—WM. querula, Vieill. Am. 39, from which the Plat. cinereus, Spix,
XIII, scarcely differs.—M. cucullata, Lath., &c.
N.B. The Mus. barbata has become the genus Tyrannusa, Swainson; and
the M. querula the Myracnra of Vigors and Horsfield.
(2) It is from this division that M. Vieillot has made his genus Platyrhynchos,
Gal. 126. Such are Muse. aurantia, Enl. 831, 1—Todus macrorhynchos, Lath.
Syn. I, pl. xxx, or Todus rostratus, Lath., Desmar. and particularly Todus platyr-
hynchos, Pall., Spic., VI, pl. iii, c. We see that many of the Muscipete have
260 AVES. . ' .
Others, whose beak is also broad and depressed, are remarkable
for their long legs and short tail. Two or three only are known, all
from America; they feed on Ants, which caused them to be united
to the little tribe of Thrushes called Ant-catchers, Myothere of Illi-
ger.(1)
Muscicapa, Cuv.
The Flycatchers, properly so called, have shorter mustachios
and a narrower beak than the Muscipete; it is still, however, de-
pressed with an acute ridge above, straight edges, and a slightly
hooked point.
Two species of this subgenus are found in France during the
summer, and lead a melancholy life on high trees. The most
common is,
M. grisola, Gm. Enl. 565, 1.. (The Grey Fly-catcher.) Grey
above, whitish underneath, with a few greyish spots on the
breast. In some countries it is kept in houses to destroy flies.
The other,
M. albicollis, Tem.; Gobe-mouche a collier, Enl. 563, 2 and 3:
and better, Hist. des Ois. tom. IV in 4to, pl. 25, f. 2, the male
in wedding plumage; Naum. 65, in its different states. (The
Collared Flycatcher.) Very remarkable for the changes of the
male’s plumage. Similar in winter to the female; that is, grey,
with a white band on the wing. In the nuptial season it be-
comes agreeably variegated, with pure black and white; calotte,
back, wings and tail, black; the forehead, collar, and all the
upper part of the body, a large spot on the wing, a smaller one
in front, and the external edge of the tail, white. It builds on
the trunks of trees.(2)
A species subject to the same changes has lately been disco-
been placed among the Todies, and although Pallas has set us the example of
doing so, the notch in the beak, and the separation of the external toe forbid it.
Add, Plat. olivaceus, T. Col. XU, 1, or sulfurescens, Spix, XII.—Plat. cancromus,
Id. Ib. 2.
(1) Here come T'urdus auritus, Gm., Enl. 822, and Vieill. Gal. 127, the same as
Pipra leucotis, but which is neither a Thrush nor a Pipra..—Pipra nexvia, Enl. 823,
f. 2. It is upon this distinction that Vieill. has founded his genus Conororuaca,
Galer. 127.
(2) The ancients knew this bird by the names of Sycalis and Ficedu/a, in its ordi-
nary plumage, and by that of Melancorhynchos and Atricapilla, in its wedding livery;
but as the name of Bec-figue (Becca-/ico), is given in the south, and in Italy, to
various species of Fauvet and Anthus, naturalists have applied the united attributes
of these birds to a certain 'state of this Flycatcher, and formed the imaginary spe-
cies presented by this same name of Bec-figue in Buffon, and in those who have
PASSERINE. 261
vered; the neck of the male, however, in the nuptial season, be-
ing as black as the back, and wanting the little white spot on
the edge of the wing. It is the
M. luctuosa, Tem.; Naum. 64; Edw. 30, 1; The female, Enl.
668, 1. Which is found farther north than the preceding.
A small reddish species has lately been discovered in Ger-
many. WM. parva, Bechst.; Naum. 65, 3.
The beak of the Flycatchers becomes more and more slender, and
finally approaches that of several species of Regulus.(1)
Some species in which the ridge is somewhat higher, and arched
towards the point, lead to the forms of the Saxicolz.(2)
Various genera or subgenera of birds are closely allied to certain
links in the series of Flycatchers, although they greatly exceed them
in size, viz.
GyMNocEPHALUs, Geoff.
Or the Bald Tyrants. They have a beak similar to that of the
Tyrants, except that its ridge is somewhat more arcuated; a great
part of their face is destitute of feathers.
followed him. It is very certainly the WM. albicollis, and not the M. luctuosa, that
is the Becca-fico of Aldrovandus, Ornith. Il, 758 and 759.
(1) Wealso refer to the true Flycatchers, the Gillit (Musc. bicolor), Enl. 675, 1.
—Le Pririt, Vaill. 161; Enl. 567, 1 and 2 (M. senegalensis, Gm.).—M. albicapilla,
Vieill. Am. 37.—M. armillata, tb. 4, 2.—M. diops, Tem., 144, 1—M. eximia, tb.
2.—M. ventralis, Id. Col. 275, 2.—M. virescens, Ib. 3.—M. obsoleta, Ib. 1. M. flabel-
lifera, Tb., Gmel. Lath. Syn. I, partI, pl. 49.—M. serita, Vaill. Afr. 154.—M.
ruticilla, Gm. Enl. 556: Vieill. Am. 35 and 36; Wils. I, vi, 6—Platyr. paganus,
Spix.—Pl. marinus, Id. 2.—Pipra eluta, Id. VII, 2. See App. XIV. of Am. Edit.
(2) Such are the Oranor, Vaill. TV, 155, and several neighbouring species, simi-
lar to the Muse. ruticilla, so far as regards the distribution of colours, but differ-
ing in the beak, such as Musc. miniata, Tem. or Turdus speciosus, Lath. Col. 156.
—M. flammea, Forst. Zool. Ind. 25 and Tem. Col. 263, or Parus malabaricus, Lath.
—WM. hyacinthina, Col. 30.—The Azuroux {M-azurea), Vaill. Afr. 158, 2—M. niger-
rima, Vieill. Dict. Spix, 18, 1—M. galeata, Spix, 17, a different species.—J. stel-
lata, Vieill., Vaill. 157, 2. MZ. longipes, or the Miro-Miro of New Zealand, Less.
and Garn. Voy. de Duper. Zool. pl. 19, 1. AM. chrysomelas, Ib. pl. 18.—M. nivea,
Spix, 29,1. M. icterophis, Vieill., Dict.—M. mirundinacea, Tem. Col. 119.—The
Musc. multicolor, Gm. Lath. Syn. 2, is so intermediate between the Flycatchers and
the Mot. phenicurus, that we hesitate to assign its position.
The species of this type which have the strongest beaks appear to constitute
the Drimoruizes of M. Temminck.
N.B. The Mus flabellifera has become the genus Riripura of Vig. and Horsf.
and the WW. ruticilla, the Seroruaca of Swainson. The AL sternura, T. Col. 167,
3, is the SrernvRa of Swains.: andthe species whose head is enlarged by feathers,
such as the ©. australis, White, p. 239, his genus, Pacuycrrnana, The neigh-
bouring genus, Sx1sura, is formed from the J'urdus volitans, Lath.
262 AVES.
One species only is known, which is the size of a rook, and
the colour of Spanish snuff. From Cayenne.(1)
CrPHALOPTERUs, Geoff.
In this subgenus, on the contrary, the base of the beak is furnished
with feathers which open at top, and form a large panache resem-
bling a parasol. mn
One species only is known; it is as large as a Jay, and blacks;
the feathers at the bottom of the breast form a sort of pendent
dewlap. From the banks of the Amazon; Cephalopterus ornatus,
Geoff., Ann. du Mus. XIII, pl. xvs Coracina cephaloptera,
Vieill. Galer. 114; Temm. Col. 2553 Corac. ornata, Spix, LIX.
See App. XV of Am. Ed.
AmPE is, Lin.
The Crown-Birds have the depressed beak of the Flycatchers, but
it is somewhat shorter in proportion, tolerably broad and slightly
arcuated.
Those in which it is the most pointed and strong, have still a de-
cidedly insectivorous regimen: they are called Pravuav from their
note—the Queruta, Vieill. They inhabit America, where they pur-
sue Insects, in flocks.(2)
Tue Common Crown-Birps,
Whose beak is rather weaker, besides insects, feed on berries and
tender fruits. They inhabit the low grounds of America, the males
being remarkable, at the nuptial season, for the brilliancy of their
purple and azure plumage. During the rest of the year both sexes
are grey or brown.
A. carnifer, L.3 L’Ouette, Enl. 3783 Spix, V. The calotte,
rump and belly scarlet; the rest brownish red; fourth quill of the
wing narrowed, shortened and tough, or something like horn.
A. pompadora, L.; Le Pompadour, Enl. 279. A fine light
purple; wing-quills white; the barbs of the great coverts are
(1) It is the Choucas chauve, Buff., Enl. 521 (Corvus calous, Gm.), the Oiseau
mon pére of the negroes of Cayenne, Vaill., Ois. d’Am. et des Indes, pl. xxix.
(2) Here comes the Common Piauhau; black, with a purple throat, (Muse. rubri-
collis, Gm.) Enl. 381; Vieill. Gal. 115, and the Great Piauhaw entirely purple (Co-
tinga rouge, Vail., Ois. d’Afr. et des Indes, pl. xxv, and xxvi, Coracias militaris,
Shaw). La Cotinga gris (Amp. cinerea), Enl. 699, is more nearly allied to the Prau-
haus than the common Crown-birds.
The Piauhau a gorge aurore (Coracias scutata, Lath. or Coracina scutata, T,), Col.
40, has a narrower beak, and approaches more to Cephalopterus.
PASSERINE. 263
~ stiff and arranged on two planes in an acute angle like a
roof.
A. cotinga, L.; Le Cordon bleu, Enl. 186 and 188. Of the
most beautiful ultramarine, with a violet breast, frequently tra-
by versed by a large blue band and spotted with dark yellow.(1)
Tersina, Vieill.
This subgenus consists of Crown-Birds whose beaks are a little
wider at base.(2)
Crsiepyris, Cuy.(3)
Has, in addition to the beak of the Crown-Birds, a singular cha-
racter which consists in the somewhat prolonged, stiff and spiny
stems of their rump feathers. They are found in India and Africa,
where they feed upon caterpillars which they collect upon the highest
trees, but they have nothing of the lustre of the true Crown-Birds.
Their tail somewhat forked in the middle is sloped on the sides.(4)
We may also separate from them,
Bompycit1a, Briss.
The Chatterers, in which the head is ornamented with a toupet of
feathers somewhat longer than the rest, possessing moreover another
singular character in the secondary quills of the wing, the ends of
the stems being enlarged into an oval, smooth, and red disk. There
is one in Europe, named, we know not why,
A. garrulus, L. Enl. 261. (The Bohemian Chatterer.) Some-
what larger than a finch; plumage of a vinous grey; throat black;
tail black, edged with yellow at the tip; wings black, varie-
gated with white. This bird visits Europe in flocks, at long
intervals, and without regularity, from which circumstance,
its presence, for a long time, was considered as an evil omen.
It is very stupid, is easily captured and brought up; eats of
every thing, and a great quantity. Its habitat is thought to be
the extreme North. The flesh is esteemed a great delicacy.
(1) Add .2. cayana, Enl. 624.—4. maynana, Enl. 299.—A. cucullata, t., Col. 365,
Swains. Zool. tl. 37.—A. caprea, Merremic. Av., 1, 2, appears to be a variety of
the carnifex.
(2) 4. tersa, Gm., La Tersine, Buff., Vieill., 119 or Procné tersine, ‘Tem., Col. 5,
or Procnias hirundinacea, Swains. Zool. Ill. MW, 21.
(3) The Greek name ofan unknown bird. Vieillot has since given to this genus
the name of Campephaga.
(4) Such are the Muse. cana, Gm., Enl. 541, or the Echenilleur cendré, Vaill.
Afr., pl. clxii, Vieill., Galer. 130; the Echenilleur noir, Vaill. lxiv. His Ech. jaune
is the young of the Turdus phenicopterus, Tem. Col. 71.—Add Cel. fimbriatus,
Tem., Col. 249, 250.
ae."
tye
264 AVES.
There is another species in America extremely similar, Rut
rather smaller, mpelis garrulus, b, Lin.; Amp. Americana, *
Wils. I, vii, 1; Bombycilla Seralinerten Wils.; Bomb. cedrorum,
Vieill., Gal. 118; Vaill., Ois. de Par., I, pl. 50. :
There is also one in Japan, B. phanicoptera, Tem.; Col. 450,
which has no appendages to the wings, and the tips of Weer
tail and little wing-coverts are red.
Hofmansegg and Illiger, with equal propriety, separate from the
Crown-Birds,
Procnias, Hofman.
The commissure of whose beak, which is weaker. and more de-
pressed, extends under the eye. They inhabit America and feed on
Insects. ‘
We may subdivide them still more.
The Proonias, properly so called, have the throat furnished with
feathers.
One species, Ampelis carunculata, Gm., Enl. 793, is distin-
guished by a long, soft caruncle on the base of the beak. In
the perfect state it is white, at other times greenish.
The Averanos (Casmaruyncnos, Tem.) are Procnize with anaked
throat.
In one species, the naked portion of the male’s throat is co-
vered with fleshy caruncles. It is the 4verano of Buff. IV, p.
4573; Amp. variegata, Lin.; Col. 51.
Another, Procn. araponga, Pr. Max. Col. 368, and 383, or
Casmar ecarunculatus, Spix, 4,only has some very small, thinly
scattered feathers in that place. These birds are white in their
perfect state; the young male and the female are greenish.
Finally, directly after the Crown-Birds, should come
GymnopveErus, Geoff.
Where the beak is but very little stronger; but the neck is partly
naked, and the head covered with velvet feathers, The species
known is also from South America. It is mostly frugivorous, is of
the size of a Pigeon, black, with bluish wings; it is the Gracula nu-
dicollis, Sh.; the Corvus nudus and the Gracula fetida, Gm. Enl.
609.(1)
(1) The species of Vaill., Ois. de ?Ameriq. et des Indes, pl. xlv, and xlvi, is
perhaps different.
N.B. Vieillot unites Graculus, Gymnoderus and Cephalopterus, in his genus Co-
RACINA.
Ys ¢ "8
«a
* i
a
one
~
4
PASSERINE. 265
Epouivs, Cuv.(1)
Belongs also to the great series of the Flycatchers; the beak is de-
pressed and emarginate at the end; its upper ridge is acute; but
what distinguishes it is, that both mandibles are slightly arcuated
throughout their length; the nostrils are covered with feathers, and
there are, besides, long hairs forming mustachios.
The species are numerous in the countries bordering on the
Indian Ocean. They are generally of a black hue, have a forked
tail, and live on insects; some of them, it is said, sing as sweetly
as the Nightingale.(2)
PuiBaLura, Vieill.
The ridge of the beak arcuated as in Edolius, but the beak itself
is one half shorter than the head.
The species known, (Ph. flavirostris,) Vieill. Gal. 74; Tem.
Col. 118; Ph. cristata, Goains. Zool. Il. pl. 31, is from Brazil.
The tail is much forked; the plumage is spotted with black and
yellows the feathers of the head with red, recalling to our minds
certain Tyrants and Flycatchers.
Tanaera, Lin.
The Tanagers have a conical beak, triangular at base, slightly arcu-
» ated at its ridge, emarginate near the end; wings and flight short.
They resemble the Finches in habits, and feed on grain as well as on
berries and insects. The greater number are remarkable for their
bright colours. We subdivide them as follows.(3)
(1) Vieillot has preferred the name of Dicrurvs.
(2) Species. Lanius forficatus, Gm., Enl. 189, Vaill. Afr. IV, 166 and Vieill.
Gal. 141.—Zanius malabaricus, Shaw, Vaill. 1V, 175, Sonnerat, Voy. aux Indes et
a la Chine, pl. xcvii, which is also the Cuculus paradiseus, Briss. IV, pl. xiv, A. 1.
—Lanius ceruléscens, Gm., Edw. pl. xlvi, Vaill. Afr., LV, 172.—Corvus balicassius,
Gm., Enl. 603.—The Drongolon, Vaill. IV, 171.—The Drongo bronzé, Id. 176, and
several new species.
N. B. The Bec-de-fer, Vaill. Afric., 79, from which Mliger has made his genus
Sparactes, and which is copied, Vieill. Gal., pl. cxxxi, having been examined by
Temminck, is found to be a Pogonias, to which other feet had been added, to-
gether with a crest. This was done by,a dealer, in joke, to impose upon the late
M. Raie de Breukelewaerd, a rich Dutch amateur.
(3) For this genus and those of Pipra and Todus, see the work of M. Desmarest
and of Pauline de Courcelles, now Madame, Knip.
Vou. I.—2 1
TAT Ny
as Meee Ai
266 AVES.
Buiurincn TANAGERS.
A short beak, when viewed vertically, showing an enlargement on
each side of its bases the tail proportionably shorter. (1)
GrossBEak TANAGERS.
The beak conical, thick, convex, as broad as itis high, the back
of the upper mandible rounded.(2)
TanaGErs, properly so called.
A conical beak, shorter than the head, as broad as it is high, the
upper mandible arcuated, somewhat pointed.(3)
Orr1oLe TANAGERS.
The beak conical, arcuated, pointed and notched at the end.(4)
CARDINAL TANAGERS.
Beak conical, somewhat vaulted, an obtuse salient tooth on the
side.(5)
(1) Tanag. violacea, Enl. 114, 1, 2—T. cayennensis, Ib. 3—Pipra musica, Enl.
809, 1— Tun. diademata, Natterer, Col. 243 or Lindo bleu, Azz., or Bouvreuil azuré,
Vieill. Gal. 54—The Lindo bleu doré, Azz. (Tun. chrysogaster, Cuv.)— Tan. viridis,
Vieill. Col. 36, 3.
(2) Tan. magna, Enl. 205.— Tan. atra, Enl. 714, 2.—Coracias cayennensis, Enl.
616.—Tun. flammiceps, Pr. Max. Col. 177.— Tan. superciliosa, Spix, 57, 1.—Tan.
psittacina, Ib, 2.—Tun. atricollis, Id. 56,2. It is on this division that Vieillot has
founded his genus Hasra.
(3) Zan. talao, Enl. 127, 2.—tricolor, Enl. 33.—mexicano, 290, 2 and 155, 1.—
gyrola, Enl. 201, 2, and 290, 1.—episcopus, Enl. 178.—celestis, Spix, 55, 1.—
varia, Desm. ( Motacilla velia, L.) Enl. 669, 3, of which the 7. Schrankii, Spix, 51,
is probably the young.—7Z° punctata and siaca, Enl. 133, L —TZ. multicolor, Vieill.
Gal. 76, or Fring. zena, L. Catesby, I, 42.—T. thoracica, Tem. Col. 42, 1.—T. citrt-
nella, Ib. 2.—T. vittata, Ib. 48.—T* penicillata, Spix, 49.—T. auricapilla, Id. 52.—
T. vittata, T. Col. 48.—T" leucoptera, or Oriolus leucoperus, Lath. Syn.
(4) The 7: gularis, Enl. 156; pileata, 720, 2, and speculifera, Spix, 36, 1, ap-
proach the Motucillz in their more slender beak. 7! nigricollis, 720, 1, is a true
motacilla, a sort of Regulus with a rather large beak.
(5) T. cristata, Enl. 7, 2 and 301, 2, of which the 7% brunnea, Spix, 49, 2, is the
young.—nigerrima, Enl. 179, 2 and 711.—olivacea.—archiepiscopus, Desm. Spix,
56, 2.—Tun. rufiventer, Spix, 50, 1—rufigularis, 1d., 56, 5.—Saira, Id. 48, 1.—
viridis, lb. 2. This division has been named Tacuypuonvs, by Vieillot, Gal. 82.
But we should also refer to it, his genus PyRanea, which is solely founded on an
individual deformity. We will name his species Tan. cyanictera.
The Palmiste, Buff. Enl.. 509, 1 (Turd. palmarwm, Gm.), Vieill. Am. IJ, 69, also
belongs to it; its notch is scarcely sensible, and it almost wholly disappears in a
neighbouring species, of which Vieillot has made his genus Icreria, Sct. dumicola,
oF
PASSERINE. 267
ve, Rampnoceine TanaGers.(1)
_. A conical beak, the branches of whose lower mandible are enlarged
.. ‘behind.(2)
Turpus, Lin.
The Thrushes have a compressed and arcuated beak, but its point
is not hooked, and its emarginations do not form such deep notches
as in the Shrikes; as we have already stated, however, there are
gradual transitions from one genus to the other.
Their regimen is more frugivorous, generally feeding on berries.
Their habits are solitary.
The term Thrush is more particularly reserved for those species
in which the colours are uniform, or are distributed in large masses.
The most widely disseminated is,
7. merula, L., Naum. 71. (The European Blackbird.) The
male, (Enl. 2,) is entirely black, with a yellow beak; the female,
(Enl. 555,) is brown above; reddish brown beneath; the
breast spotted with brown. It is a very mistrustful bird, but
is easily tamed, and can be taught to sing well, and even to
speak. It remains in Europe during the whole year.
A neighbouring species, which, however, is a bird of pas-
sage, and prefers the mountains, is,
T’. torquatus, L.; Le Merle a plastron blane; Enl. 168 ‘and
182; Naum. 70. (The Ring Ouzel.) Feathers, black, partly
edged with white; the breast marked with a shield of the same
colour. °
The high mountains in the south of Europe contain two
species, the 7. savatilis, L.; Enl. 562; Naum. 73, and the 7.
cyaneus, L.3 Enl. 250; Naum. 72, from which the 7. solitarius,
L. does not differ.(3) The first, which is most frequently found
Vieill, Am. and Gal., pl. Ixxxv, or Pipra polyglotta, Wils., 1, vi, 2. This spe-
cies leads to Ploceus. Tbunagra mississipiensis, Kn]. 742, or T: xstiva, Wils. Am.
VI, 3, 4.—T7" rubra, 156, 1.—T" ludoviciana, Wils., Tl. xx, 1.
N.B. Swainson separates the 7: ¢afao and some others from the Tanagers under
the name of Acrara, and makes a genus of my Tanagers a bec fin, called Srrnr-
MAGRA. .
(1) From this Vieill. has made his Jacara, or Rampnocetes, Galer. 79.
(2) Tanagra jacapa, Eni. 128.—T- brasilia, nl. 127, 1.—T. nigrogularis, Spix,
47.
N.B. The Tunagra atricapilla, 809, 2 and the guyannensis ar@#Shrikes. The
T. cristatella, Spix, or F'ringilla cristata, Gmel., 7. graminea and T. ruficollis, Spix,
are Buntings.
(3) Obs. Bonnelli.
268 AVES.
”
in the North, is the best known; it nestles on inaccessible © ty
cliffs, in ruins, and sings well. The head and neck of the male of
are of a blue ash colour, the back brown, rump white; beneath, a 5
and the tail, orange.(1) “ty
The name of Grives is given, in France, to those species, whose
plumage is what is termed in that country grivelé, that is to say,
marked with small black or brown spots. There are four of them in |
Europe, all with brown backs, and spotted breasts; they are singing
birds, which live on insects and berries, migrate in large flocks,
and whose flesh is an agreeable food.
T. viscivorus, L.; La Drenne. (The Missle Thrush.) Enl.
‘4893 Frisch, xxv; Naum. 66, 1. Is the largest; the underpart
of its wings is white; it is extremely fond of the misletoe, and
contributes to the dissemination of that parasitical plant.
T. pilaris, L.3 La Litorne, Enl. 490; Frisch, xxvi; Naum.
67, 2. Which is chiefly distinguished from the Viscivorus by
the ash colour on the top of its head and neck.
T. musicus, Li; La Grive, properly so called, Enl. 4065
Frisch, xxvii; Naum. 66, 2. Underpart of the wings yellow;
the best songster of the four, and the one most commonly eaten.
T. iliacus, L.; Le Mauvis, Enl. 51, Frisch. xxviii; Naum.
67, 1. (The Mavis.) The smallest of the whole number ;
under part of the wings and flanks, red.(2)
The species of the genus Thrush, foreign to Europe, are very
numerous. We will particularly notice
T. polyglottus, L.; Catesb. xxvi. (The Mocking-Bird.) From
North America; ash coloured above, paler beneath, with a white
band onthe wing. It is celebrated for the astonishing facility
with which it imitates the notes of other birds, and even all
kinds of sounds.(3)
(1) It is possible, as is observed by Shaw, that it was by confounding it with the
Siberian Jay, that Linneus attributed to it the habits of a Harpy, and at one time
calls it Corvws, and at another, Lanius infaustus.
We may approximate to the saxatilis the Rocar, Vaill. Afr. 101 and 102 ;—the
Espionneur, Id. 103.
‘The other species, allied to the Solitary Thrushes by their speckled plumage,
are Turdus manillensis, Enl. 636; probably the same as 7! violaceus, Sonnerat, 2d
Voy. pl. cviii;—Z. eremita, Enl. 339;—T" varius, Horsf. ;—Myjiothera Androme-
dx, 'Tem. Col. 392.
(2) Two additional species have been taken, though very rarely, in Germany;
the Thrush, with the back and flank spotted with red (T. Nawmanni), Naum. 68,
and that with Mitidek breast and throat ('T. Bechsteinit), Naum. 69. ;
(3) The Little Mocking-bird, (T. orpheus), Edw., 78; Le Moqueur de St Domingue,
(T. dominicus), Enl. 558, 1, are very closely allied to it, as well as the 7° gilvus,
Vieill. Am. 68.
PASSERINE. 269
Some of these birds appear to approach the Shrikes, in habits,
although there is nothing in the form of their beak which can dis-
tinguish them from other Thrushes.(1)
There are no sensible characters by which we can distinguish cer-
tain African Thrushes, which live in flocks, are extremely clamor-
ous, feed on insects, and do much mischief in gardens. Several of
them are remarkable for the brilliant tints of their plumage, which
is of a browned steel colour,(2) and one of the former, by its cunei-
form tail, which is one-third longer than the body.(3)
Add, of species foreign to Europe, with the breast or under part of the body
spotted; T! rufus, Gm., Enl. 645, and Vieill. Am. 59;—TZ" fuscatus, Vieill. Am.
57, bis;—Ti minor, Gm. or JT: mustelinus, Wils., or Gr. tanneé, or Gr. solitaire,
Vieill. Am. 62 and 63; JZ! interpres, Kuhl., Col. 458.
With the throat only spotted, at least in the adult, 7’. migratorius, L. Enl, 556;
Catesb. 29; Vieill. Am. 60, 61;—7"' ocrocephalus, Col. 136;—TZ' plumbeus, Enl.
560, Vieill. Am. 58;—7 Falelandiz, T.;—T. olivaceus, Gm.;—the grivron, Vaill.
Afr. 98;—T7" campestris, Pr. Max.
With the flanks only spotted, 7: punctatus, Sh. Zool. N. Holl. I, pl. ix, which is
the genus Cincrosoma, Vig. and Horsf., Lin. Trans. XV, p. 219.
Of those not spotted underneath, 7” brasiliensis, Lath.;—T. perspicillatus;—T.
melanotis, or Reclameur of Vaill. or T. vociferans, Zool. 11. 179:—7T". nevius, Vieill.
Am. 66;—T". lividus, or Catbird of Wils. 14, 2 ;—T. citrinus, Tem. Col. 445;—T-
rubripes, Id. 409;—T. leucogaster, Enl. 648, 1;—T. madagascariensis, Enl. 557, 1;—
T. australasiz, Sh. Nat. Miscel. 1013;—Malurus frenatus, Tem., Col. 385;—T.
pectoralis, Enl. 644, 1; T. cinnamomeus, Enl. 560, 2;—T. rujifrons, Enl. 644, 10.
These last three species have been improperly referred by Buffon to the Ant-
catchers.
N.B. Turdus aurocapillus, Lath., Enl. 398, 2 and Vieill. Am. 64, (Motac. aurocap.,
L.,) is a true Motacilla, and must be placed with the Fauvets;—7'wrdus calliope
(Lath. Syn. Supplement, fig. of the title), should go with the Redbreasts;— Turdus
eayanus, Enl. 515, is a female Ampelis;—7! guyanensis, Enl. 398, fig. 1, is a female
of the Zaunagra dominica, Enl. 156, 2, of which Vieill. has made his Dudus palma-
yum, Gal. 146. See App. XVI of Am. Ed.
(1) We have already spoken, while on the Shrikes, of some species ‘usually
placed among the Thrushes, such as, J’urdus zeilonus, Enl. 272. It seems we
might also approximate to it the 7. cafer, Enl. 563, Vaill., 107, which differs very
little even in colouring fromthe Lanius jocosus, En]. 508. These two species would
also take along with them the 7! capensis, Enl. 317, Vaill. 105, andthe 7° chrysorr-
heus, Tem., Vaill. 107.
On the other hand, it would be difficult to separate from the zeilonus, the Hausse-
col noir, Vaill. Afr., 110, and the Cravatte noir, Id. 115.
(2) Particularly T’urdus auratus, Enl. 540 (Nabirop, Vaill. Afr. 89), and T'ur-
dus nidens, Enl. 561, (Cowigniop, Vaill., 90.)
Here also come the Oranvert (T. chrysogaster, Gm.) Enl. 358;—the Sprédo (T.
bicolor, Gm.), Vaill., Afr., 83, or the Corvus rujfipennis, Sh.; and probably the
Eclatant, Vaill. 85, and the Chowcador, Id. 86, (Corvus splendidus, Sh. )
(3) Turdus zneus, Enl. 220 (Vert doré, Vaill., 87).
270 AVES.
We consider it proper to approximate to it the Thrush of
New Guinea, whose tail is three times the length of the body,
and has a double tuft on the head, which has been considered a
Bird of Paradise—Paradissea gularis, Lath., and Shaw; Par.
nigra, Gmel.; Vaill. Ois. de Par. 20 and 21; Vieill. Ois. de Par.
pl. viii, and Galer. 107, simply on account of the singularity
and incomparable magnificence of its plumage.(1)
Other Thrushes, with brilliant plumage, have the feathers of the
occiput pointed like the Starling; they are the Srournrs or Lampro-
rornis of Temminck.(2)
Some of them have so slender a beak, that they approach the Saxi-
cole—the Turporprs, or Ixos, Temm.;(3) others again have a
slender but strong and straight beak, and among them are some with
a widely forked tail, Entcurrs, T.(4)
There are some of them also, which are distinguished by the
height of their legs, which gives them the appearance of Waders,
they are the Gratiines of Vieill. Galer. 1503; or the Tanyrus of
Oppel. Mem. Acad. Munich, 1812, pl. viii.
The Crinicer, Temm., comprehends those Thrushes, which have
very strong setz on the beak, and whose neck feathers sometimes
have a setaceous termination. Such is the Criniger barbatus, Col.
88.
Buffon has very properly separated from the Thrushes, the
MyorueEra, Illig.(5)
The Ant-Catchers are known by their long legs and short tail. They
(1) Vieillot has given to this bird the generic name of AsTRapra.
N.B. I think it is proper to approximate to the Thrushes which are allied to
the Shrikes, the Muscicapa carinata, Swains., Zool. Ul., 147, of which Vigors and
Horsfield make their genus Monancna. ;
(2) Turdus mauritianus, Gm., Enl. 648, 2 and Col. 149;—7" cantor, Sonnerat,
Voy. I, pl. lxxiii;—Lamprotornis metallicus, Tem. Col. 266. We should distin-
guish the Lampr. erythrophris,on account of its beautiful red eye-brows formed of
cartilaginous feathers.
(3) Such are the Podobé (7: erythropterus, Gm.), Enl. 334 ;—the Janfredic, Vaill.
Afr. 111;—the Grivetin, Id., 118;—the Coudor, Id., 119;—the T'urdus trichas, nl.
709, 2. The Terat-boulan (Turdus orientalis, Gm. Enl. 273, 2,) approximates this
group to the straight-beaked Shrikes.
Add, Ixos chalcocephalus, Tem. Col. 453, 1;—J. squammatus, Ib. 2;—R. atriceps,
Col. 137, and particularly 7’ dispar, Col. 137, which has red cartilaginous feathers
under the throat similar to the appendages of the wing of the Chatterer.
(4) Enicurus coronatus, Tem. Col. 113, or Turd. Leschenaultit, Vieill. Gal. 145,
or Motacilla speciosa, Horsf.;—.Hnic. velatus, Tem. Col. 160. There is quite as
much reason for approximating them to the’straight-beaked Shrikes.
(5) Vieill. has changed this name into MrrmoTHEra.
438
; ‘% “ti
COME SEER ta
¥, hy eis
CAR iy
: PASSERINE. 271
live on insects, and chiefly on ants. They are found in both conti-
nents.
Those of the eastern world, however, are remarkable for the
brilliant colours of their plumage: they are the Breves of Buf-
fon(1)—Corvus brachyurus, Gm., Enl. 257 and 258; Edw. 324,
to which have been added since, several other beautiful spe-
cies.(2) We must also add the 4zurin—Turdus cyanurus, Lath.,
and Gmel.; Corvus cyanurus, Shaw, Enl. 355,(3) which only
differs in the tail, which is somewhat pointed.
The species belonging to the western continent, are much more
numerous, their tints are of a deeper brown, and they vary as to
strength, and the length of the beak. They obtain their living from
the enormous ant hills which abound in the woods and deserts of
that countrys; the females are larger than the males. These birds
seldom fly, and have a sonorous cry, which, in some species, is
even extraordinary.
Among those with a thick and arcuated beak, we remark,
M. rex; Turdus rex, Gm.; Corvus grailarius, Shaw, Enl.
702. (King of the Ant-Catchers.) The largest of all, and
stands the highest; its tail, on the other hand, is the shortest,
and at the first glance it might be taken for a Waders it is
about the size of a Quail, and its grey plumage is agreeably
chequered. Itis more solitary than the others.(4)
The species with a straighter, but still tolerably strong beak are
allied to the Shrikes, with a similar one.(5)
(1) Vieillot has given to these birds the name of Prrra.
(2) Such as the Pitta erythrogaster, Cuy., Enl. 212;—P. gigas, Tem. Col. 217;—
P. cyanoptera, 1d. Ib., 218;—P. superciliosa, C.—P. strepitans, Leadbeater, Col.
333.
N.B. The Breve des Philippines, Enl. 89, is not, as Vaillant says, that of Angola,
Edw., 324, with the head of a Thrush artificially attached to it; we have a natural
specimen of the same.
(3) The Azurin is not from Cayenne, as Buffon declares it to be, but from the
East Indies. It is the Pitta cyanura, Vieill., 153. Add Myiothera affinis, Horsf.
and even his J'’urdus cyaneus, which is the Bréve-blewet, Tem. Col. 194, but which
leads to the straight-beaked Shrikes.
The Pitta thoracica, Tem., Col. 76, which Messrs Horsf. and Vigors make the
type of their genus Turmatra, is but little removed from the azurin, if we except
its sombre hues and its beak, which latter diminishes more regularly in front, and
thereby approaches the Tanagers.
(4) M. Vieillot has taken his genus Gratraria, Galer. 154, from this bird.
Add the Grand beffrai ( T'urdus tinniens), Enl. 706, 1 of which Vieill. makes his
genus Myornera: its beak is smaller;— Myrmothera guttata, Vieill. Gal. 155.
(5) Such are the Tetema (T'urdus-colma, B.) Enl. 821;—the Palicour (T: formi-
evvorus,) Enl. 700, 1;—the Petit beffrot (Turdus lineatus), Enl. 823, 1;3—the Tham-
212s AVES.
Others have a slender, sharp beak, which, with their striated tail,
approximates them to the Wren.(1)
The Orruonyx, Tem. may be approximated to the Ant-catchers.
They have the beak of a Thrush, but, it is short and slender; their
legs are long, the nails almost straight, and the quills of the tail
terminate in a point like those of the Creepers.
We must also separate from the Thrushes:
Cincius, Bechst.(2)
Or the Water-Thrushes, which have a compressed, straight beak,
with mandibles of an equal height, nearly linear, and becoming
sharp near the point; the upper one hardly arcuated. There is but
one in Europe.
Sturnus cinclus, L.; Turdus cinclus, Lath.; Enl. 940; Vieill.
Gal. 152. (The Water Thrush.) Legs rather long, and a short
tail, which approximate it to the Ant-catchers. It is brown,
with a white throat and breast, and has the singular habit of
descending into the water, not swimming, but walking about on
the bottom in search of the litthe animals which constitute its.
food. ;
Africa, and the countries bordering on the Indian Ocean, produce
a genus of birds neighbours of the Thrushes, which I call
nophilus stellaris, Spix, 39;—Thamn. myotherinus, 1d.42. The M. leucophris, Tem.
Col. 448, although from Java, seems to approach this group. The Brachypteryx
montana, Horsf. Jay. also approximates to it in the height of its legs, but its tail is
longer in proportion, and the beak is somewhat allied to that of the Saxicole.
(1) Such are the Bambla (Turd. bambla), Enl. 703; the 4rada (T'. cantans), Enl.
706, 2. Here comes the genus Ruampnocens, Vieill. 9, 128.
We are compelled, however, to replace among the Thrushes, several species
which Buffon arranged with the Ant-catchers, on account of some relative simi-
larity of colour, viz. the Carillonneur ( T. tintinnabulatus), Enl. 700, 2;—the Merle
a cravatte (T. cinnamomeus), Enl. 560, 2;—those of the pl. Enl. 644, 1 and 2, which,
contrary to all appearances, he considers as varieties of the formicivorus. I place
in the same class the Thamnophilus griseus, Spix, 41, 1 and 48, 2 ;—striatus, Id.,
40, 2;—melanogaster, 1d., 43, 1. The Myothera capistrata, melanothorax, Tem.
Col. 185, [and M. obsoleta, Bonap. I, p. 1, 2. .4m. Ed.}. We must also send back to
the Thrushes, notwithstanding their smallness, the long-tailed species, called by
Buffon Fourmilliers rossignols (T. coroya and T\ alapi, Gm.), Enl. 701, as well as
the Myiothera malura, Natterer, Col. 953 and the M. ferruginea and rufimarginata,
Col. 132, which are even closely allied to the 7: punctatus and grammiceps;—the
M. gularis and pyrrhogenis, Tem. 442, 448.
The Myiothera mentalis and strictothorax, Natterer, 179, appear to me should be
placed among the Shrikes. There is no group which has been more overloaded
with species foreign to it, than that of the Ant-catchers. We must confess, how-
ever, that it is not more rigorously limited than the other groups of the Dentirostres.
(2) Vieillot has changed this name into that of HyproparTa.
PASSERINE. 273
PuHitepon.(1)
Their beak is compressed, slightly arcuated throughout its length,
and emarginate near the point; nostrils large, and covered by a car-
tilaginous scale; their tongue terminated by a pencil of hairs.
The species, generally remarkable for some singularity of con-
formation, have been bandied about by authors in all kinds of genera.
Some of them have fleshy bobs at the base of the beak.(2)
In others, portions of the skin on the cheeks are divested of feath-
ers.(3) '
Even in those which are completely feathered, we still observe, at
times, a singular disposition of the plumage.(4)
(1) Commerson had an idea of thus naming the Polochion (Merops moluccensis,
Gm.), which is of this genus. See Buff. Hist. des Ois., VI, 4to, p. 477. Vieillot
places the greater number of these birds in his genus Polochion, and in Latin he pre-
fers calling it Philemon rather than Philedon, Gal. 189. The genus Mexrenaca of
Lewin also is comprised in it.
(2) Here comes the New Holland bird called by Daudin, Ornith. I, pl. xvi, Pie
a@ pendeloques, or Corvus paradoxus, Vieill. Gal. 24, the same as the Merops caruncu-
latus of Phillip., of Latham and of Shaw, but which has not the feet of a Merops,
and whose beak is notched, the tongue pencillated, and nostrils without feathers.
The Sturnus carunculatus, Lath. and Gm., or Gracula carunculata, Daud. and Shaw
(Lath. Syn., Ill, pl. xxxvi), and the Certhia carunculata, Lath. and Gm. (Vieill.
Ois. Dor., I, pl. xix), also appear to me to belong to it. The latter bird, it is
said, sings delightfully, and belongs to the Friendly Islands. It is from this sub-
division that Vieillot has taken his genus Crzapron, Gal. 94.
(3) The Merops phrygius of Shaw, Gen. Zool. VIU, pl. xx;—the Goruck, Vieill.
Ois. Dor., IT, pl. lxxxviii (C. goruck, Sh.);—the Fuscalbin, td. lb., pl. 1xi, (C. luna-
_ta);—the Graculé, Id. tb., pl. ixxxvii, (C. graculina);—the Polochion of Buff. (Me-
rops moluccensis, Gm.);—the Ph. a oreilles jaunes, Less. Voy. de Duperrey, pl. 21,
bis, and some new species belong to this division.
(4) Particularly in the Merops Nove Hollandix, Gm. and Brown, Ill. ix, or Merle
a cravatte frisée, Vaill., Afr., or Merops circinnatus, Lath. and Shaw, Gen. Zool.
VUI, pl. xxii. They are the feathers of the ears which become frizzled, as they
descend to almost in front of the breast.— Melliph. auricornis, Swains., Zool. Ll. p. 43.
Add Certh. auriculata, Vieill. Ois. Dor. 85;—€. Nove Hollandizx, Ib. 7.
The species which have none of these singularities are the Certhia xantotus, Sh.
Vieill. Ois. Dor., I, pl. 84;—C. australasiana, tb. 55;—C. mellivora, 1b. 86;—C.
cerulea, Ib. 83 ;—C. seniculus, lb. 50. I am even of opinion that the Cap noir,
Vieill. pl. 60, (Certhia cucullata, Sh.) belongs to them, notwithstanding the length
of its beak;—Merops niger, Gm. or fasciculatus, Lath. or, Gracula nobilis, Merrem.
Beytr. Fasc., I, pl. ii, is still more likely to be one of »them—at all events it
is no Merops. I also place in this genus the Verdin de! la\Cochinchine, Enl. 643,
which is the second 7'urdus malabaricus, No. 125 of Gm.—for the first, No. 51 is
a Gracula, Cuv.—and the Certh. cocincinica, Sh. Vieill. 77 and 78.—Add the Philed.
cap négre, Tem. (Certhia atricapilla, Lath.), Col. 335, 1;—Philéd. moustae. (Mel-
liph. mystacalis, Tem.) Ib. 2;—the Philéd. grivelé (Melliph. maculata,T.), Col. 29, 1;
Vox. 1.—2 K
274 AVES.
EvLABEs, Cuy.
The birds. of this genus are closely allied to those of the preceding
one. Their beak is nearly that of a Thrush; their nostrils are round
and smooth. Their distinguishing mark consists in broad strips of
naked skin on each side of the occiput, and a bald spot on the cheek.
Linnzus has confounded two species of them under the name of
Gracula religiosa.(1)
E. indicus, Enl. 268, the species of India, is the size of a
Thrush; black, with a white spot near the base of the pri-
maries. The feet, beak, and bald parts of the head, yellow.
E. javanicus, Vieill. Gal. 95, has a broader beak, the commis-
sure extending higher up, more hooked at the end, and without
a notch—consequently, it should come after Colaris, Cuv.; but
in every thing else it is precisely similar to the other and par-
ticularly in the strips of bare skin about the head.(2) Of all
birds, this one is said to imitate most completely the language
of man.
GracuLa, Cuv.(3)
Is another genus allied to the Thrushes. The species inhabit Africa
and the countries bordering on the Indian Ocean. Their beak is
compressed, very little arcuated, and slightly emarginate; its com-
missure forms an angle like that of the Starling.’ The feathers on
the head are almost always narrow, and there is a naked space round
the eye. They have the habits of Starlings, and like them, pursue
insects in flocks.
One species is occasionally seen in Europe,
Turdus roseus, L.; Pastor roseus, Meyers Merula rosea, Naum.
633 Enl. 251; Vaill. Afr. A brilliant black; back, rump, scapu-
lars and breast of a pale rose; feathers of the head narrow, and
Phil. réticulé (Melliph. reticulata\, Ib. 2;—the Ph. & jowes blanches (M. leucotis), Col.
435;—Phil. Dumerilii, Voy. de Duperr. pl. xxi, and perhaps the White headed Ixos,
Ruppel, Av. 4.
N.B. The Creavion or Pie a pendeloques is the genus ANraocuxeRA of Swainson,
to which he joins the Merops phrygius, &c. The long and slender billed Phile-
dons, such as the Certhia cucullata, Vieill., form the genus MyzomeExa of Swainson.
(1) This appellationiof religious was only given to it on account of a peculiar
trait in its character, telated by Bontius (Med. Ind. or. p. 67,) and foreign to its
natural habits. I have made it my generic name by translating it into Greek.
(2) Nothing can possibly be more perplexing to methodists than this difference
between the beaks of two such similar birds.
(3) Vieillot has changed this name into that of CrrvotnEres, Galer. 148.
oe
.
PASSERINE. 275
lengthened out intoatuft. It is of great use in warm climates,
by destroying Grasshoppers. (1)
Another species, Paradisea tristis, Gm.; Gracula tristis, Lath.
and Shaw; Gracula gryllivora, Daud. Enl. 219, has become cel-
ebrated for similar services rendered to the Isle of France. It
feeds, however, on every thing, builds on the Palms, and is very
docile. Its size is that of a Thrush; brown, blackish about the
head; a spot near the tip of the wing; the lower part of the abdo-
men and the tips of the lateral tail quills are white.(2)
(1) Since my first edition was published, I have satisfied myself of the certainty
of the generic affinity of this species with the Gracula, Cuy.
(2) Itis difficult to imagine how Linnzus was induced to make it a Bird of Para-
dise. To this genus also belong the Gracula cristatella, Enl. 507 and Edw. 19,
which can hardly be considered a variety of the common one;-—-the Porte lambeaua,
Vaill. Afr. pl. xciii, and xciv, which is the Gr. carunculata, Gm., or the Gr. larvata,
Shaw, or the Sturnus gallinaceus, Daud.;—the Martin brame, Turdus pagodarum,
Vaill. Afr., 95, and Vieill. Gal. 148. The first 7° malabaricus, the T. ginginianus,
the J! dominicanus, Enl. 627, 2; the Martin gris de Fer, Vaill. Afr. 95, 1, and the
Sturnus sericeus, Gm. also belong to it, as well as some new species. [ also refer
to it, conjecturally, the Z'urdus ochrocephalus, Lath. (Sturn. ceylanicus, Gm.)
Brown, Il, xxii.
N.B. We cannot ascertain what type’was taken by Linnzus and his followers
for their genus Gracuta. Linnzus first formed it in his tenth edition of seven very
discordant species, viz. 1, religiosa, Eulabes, C.; 2, fetida, which I suspect to be the
Col nu, that is to say allied to Ampelis; 3, barita, and 4, quiscala, which belong to
Cassicus; 5, cristatella, which is a Gracula, Cuv.; 6, sawlaris, or rather solaris, which
is a straight-beaked Shrike, and the same bird as 7. mindanensis, Enl. 627, 1;
finally, 7, Atthis, which is a ‘Thrush.
In the 12th ed. he added the Gracula calva, and placed the common gracula, Cuy.
among the birds of Paradise.
Gmelin, in imitation of Pallas, added a xanthornus (Gr. longirostra.).* He also
placed there the porte-lambeaux (Gr. carunculata), still leaving the common one
among the Birds of Paradise; finally, he placed there the Gr. cayennensis, which
isa Creeper. M. Latham has transferred to it the Gr. tristis, the Col. nw (Gr. nuda)
and one of my Philedons (Gr. icterops).{ Daudin has placed some species after
the said Gracula which in fact resemble it, and two of which Gmelin had left among
the Thrushes (Z'urdus pagodarum and malabaricus). Finally, Shaw has put the
finishing touch to the matter, by transferring to the genus in question three Baritz,
(his Gr. strepera, varia and tibicen,) and adding to them the T'alapiot, which is a
Creeper or a Nuthatch (Gr. picoides). Genera, thus formed, certainly excuse the
ill humour of the enemies of systems, if they do not justify it. See the Mem. of M.
Lichtenstein, Acad. of Berlin, 1817.
* T do not know the Gracula sturnina of Pallas.
{ Neither doI know the Grac. melanocephala and viridis of Latham; but I suspect
they also belong to my Philedons.
276 AVES.
Manoruina, Vieill.
The beak much compressed, but little arcuated, and slightly
sloped; large nostrils, almost entirely closed by a membrane, which
reduces the opening to a narrow slit; the neck is short. The feathers
on the forehead, which are as soft as those of young birds, incline
partly over the nostrils.(1)
Pyrruocorax, Cuv.(2)
The compressed, arcuated, and sloped beak of the Thrushes; but
their nostrils are covered with feathers, as in the Crows, to which
they were for along time united. There is one in Europe about the
size of the Corv. monedula. ;
Corvus pyrrhocoraz, L.; Chocard des Alpes, Eni. 531; Vieill.
Galer. 106; Naum. 57,1. All black; the beak yellow; feet,
brown at first, then yellow and red in the adults builds in rocky
fissures of the highest mountains, whence, in the winter, it de-
scends into the valleys in large flocks. It feeds on insects, snails,
grain, and fruit, and does not despise carrion.
There is another in India,
Pyrr. hexanemus, Cuv.; the Sicrin, Vaill. Afr. pl. Ixxxii.
Distinguished by three barbless stalks as long as the body, which
grow oneach side among the feathers which cover the ear.
{ can find no character sufficient to warrant removing from the
Thrushes
Oriouus, Lin.
Or the Orioles, whose beak, similar to that of the Thrushes, is
merely alittle stronger; the feet a little shorter, and the wings a little
longer, in proportion. Linnzus, and most of his followers, impro-
perly united Cassici with them, to which they have no other resem-
blance than that of colours.
O. galbula, L.; Le loriot d’Hurope, Enl. 26; Golden Thrush,
Fellow Thrush of the Germans, &c. Somewhat larger than the
Thrush. The male is of a fine yellow; wings, tail, and a spot
between the eye and the beak, black; tip of the tail yellow.
During its two first years, however, the yellow is replaced by
-an olive, and the black by a brown, which is always the case
with the female. This bird suspends its skilfully wrought nest
to branches of trees, feeds on cherries and other fruits, and in
the spring on insects. It is very shy, remains in France but a
little time during the summer, and travels in pairs, or by threes.
(1) Manorhina viridis, Vieill. Gal. 149;—Merops albifrons, Shaw ?
(2) Vieill. has adopted this name and genus.
9
PASSERINE. 277
India produces some species tolerably similar to the prece-
ding,(1) but we must particularly distinguish from among that
number the Oriolus regens, Col. 320—WSericula regens, Less.
which is of the finest silky black, with beautiful orange yellow,
velvet feathers on the head and neck, and a large spot of the
same colour on the wing.(2)
Gymnops, Cuv.
The same strong beak as the Orioles; the nostrils round, without
scales or surrounding membrane; a great part of the head naked.(3)
Some of them have prominences on the beak.(4) In these the
tongue is pencillated as in Philedon.
Mzura, Shaw.
These Birds, whose size has induced some authors to refer them to
the Gallinacex, by the separation of their toes, (the first joint of the
external and middle ones excepted, ) evidently belong to the order of
the Passerine, and approach the Thrushes in their beak, which is
triangular at base, elongated, slightly compressed, and emarginate
near the point. The membranous nostrils are large, and partly
covered over by feathers, as inthe Jays. They are distinguished by
the great tail of the male, which is very remarkable for the three
sorts of feathers which compose it, viz. the twelve common ones
with very fine and widely separated barbs; two more in the middle
only one side of which is furnished with thickly set barbs, and two
external ones curved into the figure of an S, or like the arms of a
lyre, whose internal barbs, large and thickly set, form a kind of
broad riband, while those that are external are very short, becoming
(1) Oriolus chinensis, Enl. 570;—Or. melanocephalus, Enl. 79, or Loriot rieur,
Vaill. Afr. 263;—the Loriot d’or, Vaill., 260; Vieill. Gal. 83;—the Couwdougnan,
Vaill., 2, 61;—the Oriolus xanthonotus, Horsf. Jay.
(2) M. Lesson (Voy. Duperr., pl. xx,) gives as its female, a Thrush-coloured
bird which differs considerably i in its proportions.
(3) The Goulin gris (Gracula calva, Gm.), Enl. 200;—the Goulin vert (Mino Du-
montii, Less. ), Voy. de Duperr., pl. xxvy;—the Goulin olive (Gracula cyanotis, Lath.;
Merops cyanotis, Shaw).
(4) The Corbicalao, Vaill., Ois. d’Am. et des Indes, pl. xxiv (Merops corniculatus,
Lath. and Shaw,) and a neighbouring species whose larger tubercle is directed
towards the front (Mer. monachus, Lath.). These two New-Holland birds are
neither Horn-bills nor Bee-eaters, for their external toes are not more united
than those of the most common Passerinz.
N.B. The Or. regens is the Melliphaga regia of Lewin and the Sericulus chryso-
cephalus of Swainson.
The Corbicalao forms the genus Trorrpornyncuvs of Swainson.
I
|
|
|
278 AVES.
longer only near the tip. The female has only twelve ordinary
quills.
This singular species, Meenura lyra, Vieill. Ois. de Par. pl.
xiv, xv, and Gal. 192, Sh. Nat. Misc. 577, inhabits the rocky
districts of New Holland; its size is somewhat less than that
of the Pheasant.
Moraciuua, Lin.
The Warblers form an excessively numerous family, known by the
beak, which is straight, slender, and similar to a bodkin. When
slightly depressed at base, it approaches that of the Flycatchers;
when compressed, and its point is curved a little, it leads to the
straight beaked Shrikes. An endeavour has been made to divide
them as follows: :
Saxicota, Bechst.(1)
The beak a little depressed, and rather broad at base, which partic-
ularly allies these birds to the last small tribe of the Flycatchers.
They are lively, and stand tolerably high. The French species build
on the ground, or under it, and feed exclusively on insects.
Motacilla rubicola, L.; Le Traquet, Enl. 678; Naum. 90, 3, 1,
5. A small brown bird, with a red breast, black throat, and
some white on the sides of the neck, on the wing, and on the
rump. It is constantly flitting about the bushes, and its weak
note resembles the tick-tack of a mill, whence its French name.
Mot. rubetra; Le Tarier, Enl. 678; Naum. 89, 3, 4. Closely
resembles the preceding; but the black is on the cheek instead
of under the throat. Itis somewhat larger, and keeps more on
the ground. France.
Mot. ceanthe; Le Motteuz, Enl. 554; Naum. 89,1, 2. (The
Wheat-Ear.) The rump, and the half of the lateral tail feathers,
white. The male is ash coloured above, reddish-white beneath;
the wing, and a band over the eye, black. In the female, all is
brownish above, and reddish beneath. It is found in the ploughed
fields, where it feeds on the worms turned up with the furrow.
France.
We should distinguish from them,
Saxicola strapasina, T.; M. roux, Buff.; Naum. 90,1, 2. A
species from the south of Europe that sometimes visits France.
There is a bird in the south of France that should be placed »
near this species, which is black, the rump, and the two supe-
rior thirds of the tail, white, and which has been referred to the
(1) Vieill. has changed this name to Motteux (7EnanTHE).
——
PASSERINE. 279
Thrushes. It is the Zwrdus leucurus, Lath., Synops. II, pl.
$83(1) or the Sazicola cachinnans, Tem.
Sytvra, Wolf and Meyer.—Ficrputa, Bech.
The beak a very little narrower at base than in the preceding.
They are solitary birds, generally nestling in holes, and feeding on
insects, worms and berries. There are four species in France.
Mot. rubicola, L.; Rouge-gorge, Enl. 361, 1; Naum. 75, 1, 2.
(The Stonechat.). A brown grey above; throat and breast red;
belly white; builds near the ground in the woods, is prying and
familiar. Some of them remain during the winter, and seek
for refuge from the extreme cold in houses, where they soon
become tamed.
Mot. suecia, L.; Gorge-bleue, Enl. 361, 2; Naum. 75, 3, 4, 5.
Brown above, blue throat, red breast, white belly; rarer than
the preceding, nestles on the edge of woods and marshes.
Mot. phenicurus, L..3; Rossignol de muraille, Enl. 351; Naum.
79, 1, 2. Brown above; throat black; breast, rump, and lateral
quills of the tail, light red; it nestles in old walls, and has a
soft song, with something of the modulations of the Nightingale.
Mot. erithacus, tytys, gibraltariensis, atrata, Gm.; Edw. 29;
Naum. 79, 3, 4. Differs from the preceding, and principally
in the breast, which, as well as the throat, is black. It is much
more uncommon.(2)
Currvuca, Bechst.
A straight beak, slender throughout, slightly compressed before;
the upper mandible a little curved near the point. The most cele-
brated of this subgenus is
(1) Add to the saxicole, Mot. caprata, Enl. 235;—M. fulicata, Enl. 185, 1;—M.
philippensis, Ib. 2;—the patre, Vaill. Afr. p. 180.
And to the wheat-ear, M. leucothoa, Enl. 583, 2;—the zmitateur, Vaill., Afr. 181,
Id.;—the familer, Id. 183 ;—the montagnard, Id. 184;—the fourmillier, 186;—Mot.
leucomela, Falc. Voy. Il, xxx, and Col. 257, 3. Add, Saxic. aurita, t., Col. 257,
1;—S. monacha, Col. 359, 1;—S. deserti, Ib. 2.
The Mot. cyanea, Gm., Lath., Syn. Hl, pl. liii, has the beak of a Saxicola, and
only differs from it in having a rather longer tail. Vieill. Gal. 163, has placed it in
his genus Merton or Maturvs, afterwards converted into a receptacle forall kinds
of birds with elongated and cuneiform tails, such as the Mérion bridé, Tem. Col.
385, which is a Thrush;—the M. natté and the M. leucoptere, Quoy and Gaym. Voy.
de Freycin. pl. 23, which approach the Coly; the flateur of Vaill. (ML. africana),
Afr. 112, which is closely allied to Synallazxis, &c.
(2) Add the Blue bird of Amer. Mot. sialis, Enl. 590; Mot. Caer Lath. Syn.
Supp. I, front. [See 2pp. XVIT of Am. Ed.)
280 AVES.
Mot. luscinia, L.; Enl. 615, 2; Naum. 74, 2. (The Nightin-
gale.) A reddish brown above; whitish grey beneath; the tail
somewhat redder. Every one knows this songster of the night,
and the varied melody with which it fills the woods. It builds
on trees, and does not begin to sing until the young ones are
hatched. The male, then, as well as the female, is occupied in
providing them with food.
The eastern part of Europe produces a Nightingale, which
is a little larger, and whose breast is slightly variegated with
greyish tints. Mot. philomela, Bechst.; Naum..74, 1.
The remaining species have the common name of Fauvettes; they
are, nearly all, good singers, lively and gay in their manners, con-
stantly flitting about in pursuit of insects, and building in bushes,
generally in the vicinity of water, among reeds, &c.
I place a species at the head of the list, which is so large that
it has been almost always classed with the Thrushes.(1) It is
Turdus arundinaceus, L.; Sylvia turdoides, Enl. 515; Naum.
81,1. Reddish brown above; yellowish beneath; throat white:
a pale streak over the eye; a little less than the Mavis, (Turd.
iliacus, L.) and the beak almost as much arcuated. It nestles
among the reeds, and feeds almost exclusively on aquatic
-, insects.
-... Mot. arundinacea, Gm.; La Petite Rouserolle, Naum. 81, 2.
Similar to the preceding in habits and colour, but not so large
by a third.
Mot. salicaria, Gm.; La fauvette de Roseaux, Enl. 581, 2.
Still smaller than the last, and the beak proportionably shorter;
an olive grey above; very pale yellow beneath; a yellowish
streak between the eye and the beak.
There are also several small Spotted Fauvettes, inhabiting
marshes, &c., which were long confounded under that general
name, (Mot. nxvia, Gm.) and which are not yet satisfactorily
distinguished.(2)
(1) There are some intermediate Fauvettes between the Mot. arundinacea, Gm
and the Z'urd. arundinaceus, L., and between the former and the- Mot. saliemen
Gm., so that, in my opinion, it is impossible to separate the latter from the Fau-
vettes, although Lacknowledge the result is an almost insensible transition between
the Thrushes and the Motacille, just as there is between the latter and the straight
beaked Shrikes, and between the Thrushes and the Shrikes with arcuated beaks.
All these genera are closely allied.
(2) See the S. phragmitis, Naum. 82, 1;—S. cariceti, Id. 2, 3;—¥. aquatica, Id.
4 and 5;—S. fluviatilis, Id. 83, 1;—S. locustella, Id. 84, 2, 3. Compare them with
the S. locustella, Roux, 229;—S. Schenobenus, 1d. 230;-—S. paludicola, Id. 231,—S.
cysticola, Id. 232 ; as wellas the figures of Buff., Brisson, Bechstein, &c. There is
PASSERINE. 281
Of the above, we will merely notice the F. cysticole—/’. cys-
ticola, Tem. Col. 6, 3, with a fawn coloured back, spotted with
black, a light fawn colour beneath; the tail cuneiform, each
feather of which has a black spot on its inferior surface. ‘This
species is from the south of Europe, and makes its nest by
approximating the leaves of a tuft of grass or carex, which it
sews together with the filaments of various seeds.(1)
Among the species which prefer the higher grounds, we observe
first,
Mot. atricapilla, L.; Fauvette a téte noire, Enl. 580, 1 and 23
Naum. 77, 2, 3; Roux, 205, bis. Brown above; whitish beneath3.
a black calotte on the male, a red one on the female.
Mot. orphea, Tem.; La Fauvette, Enl. 579, 13 Naum. 76, 3,
4; S. grisea, Roux, 213. One of the largest; ashy brown above,
whitish beneath; some white on the tip of the wing; two-thirds
of the external quills of the tail white, the succeeding one
marked with a spot at the end, and the rest with a selvage.
There have. been distinguished within the last few years,
Sylvia nisoria, Bechst.; Fauvette rayée:; Naum. 76, 1, 2, Roux,
922. Which has much less white on the tail, the abdomen of
the female being transversely undulated with grey; the largest
of the European species.
Mot. curruca, L.3 Brit. Zool. pl. v, No. 4; Frisch. 21; Naum.
77, 13 Roux, 216. (The White Throat.) Smaller than the
preceding ones, and the beak more slender, but the same white
ona great part of the first quill of the tail. The head is ash
coloured, back brownish.
Mot. sylvia, Gm.; S. cinerea; Fauvette roussdtre; Naum. 78,
1, 23 Riet-vink, Nosem. II, pl. 97; Enl. 579, 33; Roux, 220.
Reddish brown-grey above, white beneath; the white on the
tail as in the two preceding ones; the quills and coverts of the
wings edged with red.
Mot. salicaria, L.; Sylv. hortensis, Bechst.; La petite Fau-
vette, Naum. 78, 3; Nosem. 723 Enl. 579, 2; Roux, 221. Has
no genus which stands more in need of a monography and an approximation of the
synonymes of different authors, than this.
Add to the aquatic Fauvettes of Europe, Sylv. galactodes, T. Col. 251, 1;—S.
luscinioides, Savi. Egypt. Ois. XII, A;—S. cetti, Marmora or la Bouscarle, Enl. 6,
55, 2; Roux, 212;—S. melanopogon, Tem. Col. 245, 2.
(1) See Notizia sul nido del Beccamorchino (Sylvia cysticola, Tem.) by S. P. Savi.
Pisa, 1823.
Vou. L—2L
282 AVES.
no white on the tail, and is of a brownish grey, or olive above,
and of a yellowish white beneath.(1) ,
Bechstein has separated from the other Fauvette his Accrnror,
which is the Fawvette des Alpes, Buff.—Mot. alpina, Gm.; Enl. 668, or
the Pegot, Vieill. Gal. 156; Naum. 92, 13(2) because the edges of its
slender beak, which is more exactly conical than that of the other yi
Motacillz, are slightly depressed. ;
It is a fulvous bird, with a white throat, sprinkled with Black:
two rows of white spots on the wing; some bright red on the
flanks. It is found in the pastures of the upper Alps, where \
it feeds on insects, and whence, in winter, it descends into the 4
“
‘
i
ES
=
villages in search of grain, &c.
I think I have observed the same beak inthe Fauvette d’hiver.
Mot. modularis, L.; Traine-buisson, &c.3; Enl. 615, 1; Naum. 4
92, 3, 4.(3) The only species that remains in France during
the winter, and that in some measure relieves the dreariness of
the season by its delightful notes. It is of a fawn colour, spot-
ted with black above, and a slaty ash colour beneath. It builds A
twice a year, and in the summer proceeds to the North, and”
seeks the mountain forests. During the winter, or where insects
are not to be had, itis contented with grain. .
The gizzard of these two birds is more fleshy than that of
the other Fauvettes.(4) We may add to them,
Ace. montanellus, Tem.; Naum. 92. ,
the S. subalpina.—The Pitchou (S. ferruginea), Enl. 635, 1; Roux, 219. Thesmall
species lead to Reeutus. ;
(2) It is also the Sturnus montanus, and the S. colluris of Gmelin.
(3) I see this approximation has been adopted by Mess. Temm. and Nauman. i
(4) Nitsch., ap. Naum., II, p. 939. hy
(5) Mot. fuscata, Gm. Enl. 584, 1; ;—Motacilla macrourd, Gm. Enl. 752, 2; or the
Capolier, Vaill. 129, 130, 1;—Malurus galactodes, 'T., Col. 65, 1; Mal. marginalis,
T. Ib. 2;—Mal. clamans, Ruppel. pl. 2;—Mal. squamiceps, Id. xii.—Mot. subflava,
. Gm. Enl. 584, 2, probably the same as the Citrin, Vaill., Afr., 127;—the Double
PASSERINE. 283
Some of the species are very skilful in the construction of
their nests, with cotton or other filaments, which they arrange
with much art.(1)
Rrcuuus, Cuyv.
The beak slender, forming an extremely perfect and a very sharp
pointed cone; when viewed from above its sides even appear slightly
concaye. They are small birds, which live among trees and pur-
sue Gnats. ‘There is in France,
Mot. regulus, L.; the Roitelet, Enl. 651, 3; Naum. 93, 1, 2, 3.
The smallest of the European birds; an olive colour above, a
yellowish white beneath; head of the male marked with a beau-
tiful spot of a golden yellow, edged with black, the feathers of
which are erectile. It constructs on trees a globular nest, with
a lateral opening, suspends itself to the branches in every posi-
tion like a Parus, and keeps near our houses in winter.(2)
A still smaller species has lately been observed, the yellow of
which inclines more to the orange, and which has a black streak
before and behind the eye.—Regulus ignicapillus, Naum. 93,
Ol
Motac. trochilus, L.; Le Pouillot, Enl. 651, 1; Naum. 80, 3,
Somewhat larger than the roitelet, of the same colour, but
without the crown; its habits are similar, but it has a more
agreeable song, and it removes on the approach of winter.
Motac. hypolaiss; Le grand Pouillot; Bechst. WI, xxiv; Enl.
581,23; Naum. 81, 1. Is still a little larger, and the abdomen
more on a silver.(3)
The species foreign to Europe are extremely numerous, and
are very often agreeably coloured. (4)
ey
sourcil, Id. 128. It is partly from this subdivision that Mess. Vieill. and Temm.
have taken their genus Merion or Malurus; I should not, however, like the former,
place in it the Mot. cyanea, Gm. which has the beak of a Saxicola.
N.B. The Malurus galactodes, Tem. has become the genus Mreaturus of
Vigors and Horsfield.
(1) Certain Fauvettes, such as the 8. sarda, have a little circle round the eye.
They form the genus Zosterors of Vigors and Horsfield.
(2) Add the Roitelet omnicolor, Vieill. Galer. 166.
(3) Add of European species: Mot. sibilatrix, Col. 245, 3; Naum. 80, 2;—M.
Jjitis, Naum. 80, 3;—M. rufa, Naum. 80, 4.
(4) Such are the Tscheric, Vaill. 111, 121;—the Couw-jaune (Mot. pensilis), Enl.
685, 5;—WMot. zxstiva, Enl. 58, 2;—the Mot. ludoviciana, Enl. 731, 2;—the Fig.
@ poitrine jaune (Mot. mystacea), Enl. 709, 2, Edw. 237, 2;—the Fig. cendré du
Canada (M. Canadensis), Enl. 685, 2;—the Fig. de Visle de France (M. mauritiana,
Enl. 705, 1;—the Plastron noir, Vaill. 111, 123;—Sylia venusta, Tem. Col. 293,
284 AVES.
TroGLopytes, Cuv.
The only difference between the Wrens and the present subgenus
is, that in the latter the beak is still a little more slender and slightly
arcuated. But one species is found in Europe.
Mot. troglodytes, L.; Rottelet, Enl. 651, 2; Naum. 83, 4. (The
European Wren.) Brown, transversely striated with black;
some white on the throat and the edge of the wing; a turned-up
and short tail. It builds on the ground, and cheers us with its
pleasing song even in the middle of winter.(1)
Moracitta, Bechst.
The Wagtails, to a still slenderer beak than that of the Fau-
vettes, add a long tail which they are continually raising and de-
pressing, long legs, and scapular feathers sufficiently extended to
cover the tip of the folded wing, which gives them an affinity with
the greater number of Waders.
Moraciiia, Cuv.
The true Wagtails still have the nail of the thumb curved like
the rest of the group. They live along the shores of water courses...
That of France (Mot. alba and cinerea, L.), Enl. 652, is ash
coloured above, white beneath; a calotte on the occiput; throat
and breast, black. i,
The south of Europe produces one which when old has a
black back, but resembling the preceding when young. It is
the Mot. lugubris, Roux, 194.
Bupytes, Cuv.(2)
In addition to the other characters of the true Wagtails, the nail
of the thumb is here elongated and but slightly arcuated, which
approximates these birds to the Larks. They generally remain in
1;—S. speciosa, 1b, 2;—S. palpebrosa, Ib., &c. &c. Those whose beak is somewhat
broad at base, are closely allied to the narrow-beaked Flycatchers. For the cata-
logue of species in the United States, see the paper by M. Ch. Bonaparte. Ann.
New York Lyc. July 11, 1826, p. 76, etseq. See App. XVIII of Am. Ed.
(1) The Wrens foreign to Europe are allied to the Ant-catchers on the one
hand, and to the Creepers on the other. Add the Thriotore 2 long bec (Thr. lon-
girostris, Vieill. Gal. 168, or Kampylorhynchus scolopaceus, Spix, 79). [Add
Trog. aedon. Wils, I, pl. iii, f. 3;—Trog. palustris (Thyothorus arundinaceus,
Vieill.), Wils. II, pl. xii, f. 4;—T'rog. ludovicianus (Sylvia ludoviciana, Lath.)
Wils. I, pl. xii, fi v. Am. Ed.)
(2) Budytes, from its being seen among cattle.
PASSERINE. 285
pastures, and pursue insects among the cattle. The most com-
mon is,
Mot. flava; Bergeronnette de printems; Enl., 674, 2. Ash-
coloured above, olive on the back, yellow beneath; the eyebrow
and two-thirds of the lateral quills of the tail, white.(1)
Antuus, Bechst.
The Meadow Larks were long united to the Larks (Alauda), on ac-
count of the long nail oftheir thumb; but their slender and emarginated
beak approximates them to the other Warblers, at the same time that
their secondary quills and coverts, which are as short as usual, will
not allow them to be confounded with Budytes. Those which still
have the nail somewhat arcuated are in the habit of perching.
1. arboreus, Bechst.; Alauda trivialis and minor, Gm.3 the
Pipi; Enl. 660, 13(2) Naum. 84, 2, Roux. Olive-brown above,
reddish-grey beneath; breast spotted with black; two pale, trans-
verse bands on the wing.
The thumb nail of others is exactly that of an alauda, and they ge-
nerally remain on the ground.
A. pratensis, Bech.; 4lauda pratensis, Gm.; Alouette de pré, Enl.
661, 23(3) Naum. 84, 3 and 85, 1. Olive-brown above, whitish
beneath; brown spots on the breast and flanks; whitish eye-
brows; edges of the external quills of the tail, white. It prefers
low or inundated meadows, and builds among reeds and tufts
of grass. It becomes excessively fat in autumn by feeding on
grapes, and is sought for at that period in France by the name
of Bec-figue and Vinette.(4)
We will terminate this family of the Dentirostres with some
birds distinguished from all preceding ones by their two exter-
nal toes, which are united at base for about a third of their
Jength, a circumstance which approximates them to the family
of the Syndactyli.
(1) Add the Mot. boarula, L. Edw., 259, and Vieill. Gal. 162.
(2) Under the false name of Farlouse; the Pivote ortolane, Buff. Enl. 642, 2 (Mo-
tacilla maculata, Gm.), isthe young bird. See Roux, 288.
(3) Improperly called Alouette pipi; Nauman refers this figure to his Anthus
aquaticus, of which he thinks it is the young male. We may observe that the
synonymes of this subgenus are not less obscure than those of the Fauvettes.
(4) Add the Anthus aquaticus, Naum., 85, 2, 34;—La Rousseline, (Anth. Cam-
pestris), Enl. 661, 1; Naum., 84, 1; or Jlauda mosellana, Lath. of which the young
is called Fist in Provence, Enl. 654, 1 (Motac. massiliensis, Gm.) See Roux, p.
292 ;—the Anth. Richardi, Vieill. Id. 101, and Roux, 189, 190. Among those
foreign to Europe place the Alauda capensis, Enl. 504, 2;—Al. rufa, Ib. 238, 15
probably the rubra, Edw., 297 ;—.Anthus rufulus, Vieill. Gal. 161.
a
286 AVES.
Pipra, Lin.
The Manakins havea compressed beak, higher than it is broad, and
emarginateds large nasal fosse. Their feet and tail are short; the
general proportions of their form have long caused them to be
considered as very similar tothe Titmouse. At their head, butina
separate group, should be placed,
a.”
Rupicoua, Briss.
The Rock Manakins, or Cocks of the Rock, which are large birds,
and have a double vertical crest on the head, formed of feathers
arranged like a fan. The adult males of the two American species,
Pipra rupicola, Gm. Enl. 39 and 747; Vieill. Gal. 189, and Pip. pe-
ruviand, Lath. Enl. 745, are of a most splendid orange colour; the
young of an obscure brown. They live on fruit, scratch the ground
like the common Hen, and construct their nests with pieces of dry
wood, in the depths of rocky caverns. The female lays two eggs. ©
Catypromenss, Horsf.
Only differs from the preceding by the feathers on the head not
being disposed like a fan; this same character, in a minor degree,
may be observed in the Pip. peruviana.
There is a species found in the archipelago of India of the
most beautiful emerald green—Cal. viridis, Horsf. Jay. which
is not larger than a Thrush.
Prpra, Cuv.
The Manakins proper are small, and remarkable in general for
their lively colours.(1) They live in small flocks, in forests, on low
grounds.
Euryuaimus, Horsf.
Toes similar to those of the Manakins and the Rock Manakins; but ©
the beak, as strong as that of the Tyrants, is enormously broad and
depressed, the base even surpassing the width of the forehead. The
point is a little hooked, and slightly emiarpimate on each side; the
ridge is blunt.
(1) Pipra militaris, Sh. Nat. Misc., 849 ;—Pipra caudata, Sh. Nat. Misc., 153,
Spix, 6;—Pipra jilicauda, Spix, 8;—Pipra pareola, Enl.j 637, 2, and 303, 2;—
superba, Pallas, Sp. 1, pl. iii, f. 1;—erythrocephala, Enl. 34, 1;—aureola, 34, 3, and
302 ;—rubrocapilla, Col. 54, 3 or cornuta, Spix, 7, 2;—-coronata, Sp. 7, 1, 2 ;—se
rena, Enl. 324, 2, and Vieill. Gal. 72 ;—gutturalis, 324, 15 lewcoeapilla, 34, sh ele
nacus, 302, 1 and 303, 1;—strigilata, Pr. Max. Col. 54, 1, 2.
¥
"
‘th
PASSERINA. 287
These birds inhabit the archipelago of India. The ground of
their plumage is black, variegated with patches of bright colours,
_and they have something of the air of the Bucco, a genus of a very
different order. They live near water, and feed on insects.(1) © See
App. XIX of Am. Ed.
FAMILY IL.
FISSIROSTRES.
The Fissirostres form a family, numerically small, but very
distinct from all others in the beak, which is short, broad, hor-
izontally flattened, slightly hooked, unemarginate, and with
an extended commissure, so that the opening of the mouth is
very large, which enables them to swallow with ease the in-
sects they capture while on the wing.
They are most nearly allied to the Flycatchers, and to the
Procniz in particular, whose beak only differs from theirs in
being emarginate.
Their decidedly insectivorous regimen eminently qualifies
them for birds of passage, which leave us in the winter.
They are separated, like the birds of prey, into two divi-
sions, the diurnal and the nocturnal. The genus
Hirunpo, Linn.
Or the Swallow, comprehends the diurnal species, all of which are
remarkable for their dense plumage, extreme length of wing, and
velocity of flight. Among them we distinguish,
CypsE.us, Illiger.
Of all birds, these have the longest wings in proportion to their
size, and the greatest powers of flight. Their tail is forked; their
extremely short feet have this very peculiar character: the thumb is
directed forward almost as much as the other toes, and the middle
(1) Todus macrorhynchos, Gm., Lath., Syn. I, pl. xxx and Col. 154, under the
name of Huryl. nasutus;—Euryl. javanus, Horsf., and Col. 130 and 131, under the
name of Luryl. Horsfieldii;—Eur. cucullatus, Tem. Col. 261 ; Zur. Blainvillii, Less.
and Garn. Voy. de la Coquille, pl. xix,f. 2. The character of the beak is excess-
ively developed in the Eur. corydon, Temm. Col. 297.
i a
288 AVES.
‘and external ones consist each of three phalanges like the internal
one. !
The shortness of their humerus, the breadth of its apophyses, —
their oval fourchette, their sternum not emarginate beneath, all in-
dicate, even in the skeleton, their fitness for vigorous flight; but the
shortness of their feet, together with the length of their wings, pre-
vents them, when on the ground, from rising, and consequently they
pass their lives, if I may so express it, in the air, pursuing in flocks,
and with loud cries, their insect prey through the highest regions
of the atmosphere. They nestle in holes of walls, or fissures in
rocks, and climb along the smoothest surfaces with great rapidity.
The common species, Hirundo apus, L., Enl. 541, 1, is black,
with a white throat.
That from high mountains, Hirundo ree: L.; Edw. 273 Vaill.
Afr. 243; Vieill. Gal. 121, is larger, brown above, and white be-
neath, with a brown collar under the neck.(1)
Hrrunpo, Cuv.
The Swallows proper have the toes and sternum disposed like
those of the Passerine generally. In some of them the feet are in-
vested with feathers down to the nails; the thumb still exhibits a
disposition to incline forward; the tail is forked, and of a moderate
size.
H. urbica, L.; Hirondelle de fenetre, Enl. 542, 2. The Mar-
tin.) Black above; underneath, and the rump, white. The
substantial nest it constructs of earth, at the angles of windows,
under eaves of houses, &c. is well known to every one.(2)
Others have naked toes, and the forks of the tail very often ex-
tremely long.
H. rustica, Enj. 543, 1. (The Chimney Swallow.) Black
above; forehead, eyebrows, and throat, red, all the remaining
under part white. The name is derived from its usual place of
residence.
Hi. riparia; Hirondelle de rivage; Enl. 453, 2. (The Sand
Martin.) Above, and the breast brown; the throat, and under-
neath, white. It lays in holes along the banks of rivers. That
(1) Add Mir. sinensis;—the Martinet a crowpe blanche, Vaill. Afr. 244, 1?—
the Martinet velocifere, Id. Ib. 244, 2?—the Martinet @ moustaches (Cyps. mysta-
ceus, Less. and Garn.), Voy. de la Coquille, No. 122 ;—the MM. coiffé (C. comatus,
T.), Col. 268 ;—the M. longipenne (Hir. longipennis, 'T.), Col. 83, 1. [Add Cyps.
pelagicus, Wils. V, pl. xxxix, f.1. Am. Ed.]
(2) Add Hirundo cayennensis, Enl. 725, 2 ;—Hir. ludoviciana, Nob. Enl. 725, 1,
and Catesby, 1, 51—Hir. montana;—the same as the rupestris-
PASSERINE. 289
it becomes torpid during the winter, and even passes that season
under water in the bottom of marshes, appears to be certain.
Among the Swallows foreign to Europe, we should remark,
Hir. esculenta, L. A very small species from the Archipelago
of India, with a forked tail; brown above; beneath, and the tip
of the tail, whitish; celebrated for its nest, composed of a
whitish gelatine, arranged in layers, and constructed with a
particular species of fucus which it previously grinds and ma-
cerates. The nutritious qualities attributed to these nests in
China, have rendered them an important article in the com-
merce of that country.(1)
There are some Swallows in which the tail is nearly square,(2)
and others where it is short, square, and the quills terminating in a
point.(3)
Caprimu.eus, Lin.(4)
The Goatsuckers have the same light, soft plumage, shaded with
grey and brown, that characterizes the nocturnal birds. Their eyes
are large; the commissure of the beak extending still higher up than
that of the Swallow, and furnished with stiff mustachios, is capable
of engulphing the largest insects, which are retained there by a
glutinous saliva; the nostrils, formed like small tubes, are at its
base. Their wings are long; their feet, short, with feathered tarsi,
(1) Here come: Hir. americana, Wils., V, xxxviii, 1, 2, or rufa, Vieill., Am.
3;—another Mir. rufa, Enl. 724, 1;—Mir. fulva, Vicill. Am. 32 ;—Hir. fasciata,
Enl. 724, 2 ;—Hir. violacea, Enl. 722, or H. purpurea, Wils., V, xxxix, 1, 2;—
Hir. chalybzxa, Enl. 454, 2;—Hir. senegalensis, Enl. 310 ;—Hir. capensis, Enl. 7253,
2;—Hir. indica, Lath. Syn. I, pl. lvi;—Hir. panayana, Sonner. Voy. I, pl.
Ixxxvi;—Hir. subis, Edw., 120 ;—Hir. ambrosiaca, Briss., I, pl. lxv, fig. 4;-—Hir.
tapera, Ib., fig. 3;—Hir. nigra, Id. pl. Ixvi, fig. 3 ;—Hir. daurica ;—Hirondelle a
front roux, Vaill. Afr..245, 2 ;—Hir. de marais, Id. Ib. 246, 2 ;—Hir. huppée, 1d. Ib.
247 ;—Cyps. senex, T. 397 ;—Hir. fucata, Tem., Col., 161, 1 ;—Hir. jugularis, Pr.
Max., Col., 209, 2;—Mir. javanica, Lath. Col. 85, 2 ;—Hir. melanolenca, Pr. Max.,
Col. 209, 2 ;-——Hir. minuta, Pr. Max., Col. Ib., 1 ;—Hir. bicolor, Vieill. Am. 31, or
A. viridis, Wils., V, xxxviii, 3
(2) Hir. dominicencis, Enl. 545, 1 ;—Hir. torquata, Enl. 723, 1 ;—Hir. leucoptera,
Enl. 546, 1 ;—Mr. francica, Enl. 544, 2 ;—Hir. berbonica ;—H. americana ;—Hir.
fauve, Vaill. Af. 246, 1.
(3) Hir. acuta, Enl. 544, 1;—Cypselus giganteus, Col. 364 ;—Hir. albicollis,
Vieill., Galer. 120, or Cyps.. collaris, Pr. Max., Col. 195. "
(4) Caprimulgus, Goatsucker, gothelas, names which derive their origin 8 from
the whimsical idea entertained by the vulgar, of their sucking Goats and even
Cows.
N.B. M. Vigors and Horsfield make a genus (ceorueLes,) of the Caprimulgus
Nove-Hollandiz, Philip., Bot. B., 270.
Vou. I.—2 M
290 AVES.
and their toes united at base by ashort membrane. The thumb itself
is thus united to the internal toe, and can direct itself forwards; the
middle nail is often dentated on its inner edge, and the external
toe has but four phalanges, a conformation very rare among birds.
Goatsuckers live solitarily, and never venture abroad, except at twi-
light, and in the night during fine weather. They hunt Phalene and
other nocturnal insects, and lay a small number of eggs on the bare
ground, without taking any pains in the construction of a nest. The
rushing of the air into their immense mouth, while on the wing, pro-
duces a very peculiar humming sound. There is but one species in
Europe,
Capr. europzus, L.3 Enl. 193. (European Goatsucker.) Size of
a Thrush; of an undulated greyish-brown, mottled with blackish
browns; a whitish band reaching from the beak to the neck. It
builds in the furze or long grass, and lays only two eggs.
America produces several of these birds with a round or
square tail, one of which is as large as an Owl, Caprim. grandis,
Enl. 3253 and another, C. vociferus, Wils. V, xli, celebrated on
account of its loud and peculiar cries in the spring of the
year.(1) One of them is found in New Holland.
There are some also in Africa,(2) part of which have a
pointed tail,(3) and others a forked one, an additional indication
of the affinity between this genus and that of the Swallows.(4)
There is even one in America, the forks of whose tail are longer
than the body3(5) the middle nail of these fork-tailed species is
not dentated.
One species, likewise from Africa, but with a round tail, is
very remarkable for a feather twice the length of the body,
which arises from near the carpus of each wing, and is barbed
only near theend: the Caprim. longipennis, Shaw, Nat. Miscell.,
265.
ee
(1) Add, Capr. virginianus, Edw., 63, or americanus, Wils. V. xl, 1, 2, which
appears to me at any rate very nearly allied to the guyanensis, Enl. 733; it has
been confounded with the vociferus ;—Capr. carolinensis, Catesb., 8, Wils. V, liv,
2, a species very closely allied to that of Europe ;—C. jamaicensis, Lath., Syn. II,
pl. lvii ;—C. rufus, Enl. 735 ;—C. semitorquatus, Enl. 734 ;—C. cayenensis, Enl.
760 ;—C. acutus, Enl. 752 ;—C. Nattereri, Col. 107 ;—C. diurnus, Pr. Max. Col.
182 ;—C. mystacalis, Tem.
(2) C. “infuscatus, Ruppel., pl. vi;—C. isabellinus, T. Col. 379 ;—C. eximius,
Ruppel. Col. 398.
(3) C. climacurus, Vieill. Galer. 122.
(4) Capr. furcatus, Cuv. Vaill. Afr. 47 ;—C. pectoralis, Id. Ib. 94.
(5) C. psalurus, Tem. Col. 117, 151.
PASSERINE. 291
Popareus, Cuv.
The form, colour, and habits of the Goatsuckers; but the beak is
stouter, and there are neither membranes between the toes, nor is
the middle nail dentated.(1)
P. Cuviert; P. cendré; Vieill. Galer. 123. Variegated with
ash, whitish and blackish colours; size of a Rook.
P, javanensis, Horsf. Jav.. Red, varied with brown; a white
band along the scapulars.
P. cornutus, T., Col. 159. Red, varied with white; large
tufts of feathers at the ears.
FAMILY III.
CONIROSTRES.
The Conirostres comprehend genera with a strong beak,
more or less conical, and unemarginate; the stronger and
thicker their beak, the more exclusively is grain their food.
The first genus to be distinguished is,
ALAuDA, Lin.
The Larks are known by the nail of their thumb, which is straight,
strong, and much longer than the others.(2) They are granivorous
birds, and pulverators. They build on the ground, and generally
keep there. ~
The beak of the greater number is straight, moderately stout and
pointed.
Al. arvensis ; Alouette des champs, Enl. 368, 13 Naum. 100,
1. (The Sky Lark.) Universally known by its perpendicular
mode of soaring, accompanied by its varied and powerful song.
It is brown above; whitish underneath; spotted throughout,
with a deeper shade of brown; the two external quills of the
tail white outside. |
Al. cristata; Le Cochevis, Enl. 503, 1; Naum. 99, 1. (The
Crested Lark.) Nearly the same size and plumage; but it has
the power of erecting the feathers on the head into a tuft; not
(1) M. Vigors considers this subgenus as connecting Caprimulgus with Ulula.
(2) This character is more or Jess marked in Bupyrxs, Azavpa, AnTuvus, and
in the Emberiza nivalis.
292 AVES.
so common asthe preceding, and frequents the vicinity of
villages, &c.
Al. arborea; Al. nemorosa; Cujelier; Enl. 503, 23; Naum. 100,
2. (The Woodlark.) minuta, tb. 2;—L. collaria, Enl. 393,
3;—L. sibirica, Falk. Voy. If, pl. xxviii;s—Pyr. cinereola, Tem. Col. Il, 1;—P.
falcirostris, Ib. 2;—P. orthaginea, T. Col. 400;—P. mysia, Vieill., Ois. ch. pl. xlvi,
and the pl. lix and Ix of Spix. [Add. P. frontalis, Bon. I, p. vi, f.1, 2. Am. Ed.]
(4) Lowia from rc£o¢ (curve) the name invented for this bird by Conrad Gesner.
Linneus applied it to the Grosbeaks generally.
PASSERINE. 303
one side, sometimes on the other. This singular beak enables them
to tear out the seeds from under the scales of the pine-cones.
The European species is very common wherever there are
evergreen trees; it is,
Loxia curvirostra, L., Enl. 218. (The Crossbill.) The
plumage of the young male is of a vivid red, with brown wings;
that of the adult, and of the female, is greenish above, yellowish
beneath. Two races of them, also, are known, which differ as
to size, and even, as it is said, in their notes, and in the form
of the beak, Lox. curvirostra, Naum. 110, and Low. pytiopsitta-
cus, Bechst., Naum. 109.(1)
We cannot remove from the Bullfinches and the Crossbills
Coryruus, Cuv.(2)
The point of whose completely arched beak curves over the lower
mandible. The most known species, .°
Loxia enucleator, L.3 Enl. 135, 13 or better, Edw. 123, 1243
Vieill. Gal. 53; Naum. 112. The Pine Grosbeak inhabits’ the
north of both continents, and lives in the same way as the Cross-
bill. It is red, or reddish, the feathers of the tail and wings
black edged with white.(3)
The north of the globe produces neighbouring species of
equal beauty as to colour, individuals of which sometimes find
their way into Germany.(4)
Coxtus, Gm.(5)
The Colies also approximate considerably to the preceding birds.
Their beak is short, thick, conical, and somewhat compressed, its
two mandibles being arcuated, but without extending beyond each
other; the quills of their tail are cuneiform, and very long; their
thumb, as in Cypselus, is capable of being directed forwards like
the other toes; their fine and silky feathers are generally cinereous.
They inhabit Africa and India, climb something in the manner of
(1) Add Loa. leucoptera, Lath. Vieill. Gal. 53, and Wils. Am. Ornith. A
(2) Corythus, Greek name of an unknown bird. Vieillot has changed. this
name into that of STROBILIPHAGA.
(3) Loxia flamingo, (Sparm. Mus. Carl. pl. xvii,) appears to me to be a mere
albino variety of the enucleator. The Lox. psittacea of the Sandwich Islands, Lath.
Syn. Il, pl. xlii, or Psirracrrosrra icterocephala, ‘Temm. Col. 457, appears to
differ from Corythus only in a little greater prolongation of the curved point of the
beak. ;
(4) Lox. erythrina, Pall. or F'ringilla flammea, L., Naum. 113, 1, 2;—Low. rosea,
Pall. Naum. 113, 3;—/'r. purpurea, Wils. I, vil, 4 ?
(5) Koaosos, the Greek name of a small species of Crow.
304 AVES.
Parrots, live in flocks, build many of their nests on the same bush,
and sleep suspended to its branches in crowds, with the head down-
wards. They feed on fruit.(1)
Here also come the
Bupnaga, Briss.
The Beef-eaters form a small genus in which the beak is of a mode-
rate length, cylindrical at the beginning, and inflated (both mandibles)
near the end, which terminates in a blunt point. They use it to
compress the skin of cattle in order to force out the larve of the
CEstrus lodged in it, on which they feed.
One species only is known, and that is from Africa; brownish,
with a moderate sized cuneiform tail; as large as a Thrush.
Buphaga africana, Enl. 2933 Vaill. Afr. pl. 973 Vieill. Gal.
“* Cassicus, Cuv.
A large and exactly conical beak, thick at base, and very sharp at the
point; small round nostrils, pierced on the sides; the commissure of the
mandibles forms a broken line, or is angular like that of the Star-
lings. They are American birds, whose manners are similar to those
of the last mentioned ones, living like them in flocks, frequently
constructing their nests close together, and sometimes with much
art. They feed on grain and Insects, and do great injury to culti-
vated grounds. Wesubdivide them as follows:
Cassicus,(2) properly so styled.
The base of the beak mounts on the forehead, encroaching on the
plumage, and forming a semicircular notch in it. The largest spe-
cies belong to this subgenus.(3)
(1) Col. capensis, Enl. 282, 1; Vaill. 258, and the young, 256. This latter is
the C. striatus, and the C. panayensis;—Col. erythropus, Gm.; leuconotus, Lath.
Vaill. 257;—-Col. gularis, Vaill. 259.
I place near the Colies the birds called Meriow natté (Malurus textilis, Less.)
and Merion leucoptére (M. leucopterus, Id.), Voy. de Freycin. pl. 23.
(2) Vieill. has adopted this name and genus.
(3) Cassicus bifasciatus, Spix, LXI, a;—Cassic. aneudtifiogs, Id, LXII;—Cass.
nigerrimus, Id. LXII, 1;—Oriolus cristatus, Enl. 344;—y 328;—hemorrhous, 482;—
persicus, 184. (N.B. That it is not from Persia, but from America, like the others. )j-—
A black species, with metallic reflections, the plumes of whose neck are erectile,
and form a kind of mantle. It is the Grand troupiale of Azz. Voy. JII, p- 167.
PASSERINE. 305
wt
IcrErus.(1)
The beak arcuated throughout its length, and only forming a small
notch in the feathers on the forehead.(2)
XANTHORNUS.(3)
Only differs from the preceding in the perfect straightness of the
beak.(4)
We should distinguish among the number a species with a
somewhat shorter beak, which therein approaches the Frin-
gilla, Cuv.
Icterus pecoris, Tem.; Emberiza pecoris, Wils. II, xviii, 1, 2,
and Enl. 606, 1. (The Cow Bunting.) A violet black; head
and neck a brown grey. Lives in flocks among the cattle; but
the most peculiar trait in its habits is that, like the Cuckoo, it
lays its eggs in other birds’ nests.(5)
(1) Vieillot has changed the French term of the above subdivision, Troupiale,
into Carouge, which I had adopted for the following subgenus. He translates
Carouge by Pendulinus, Galer. pl. 186.
(2) Oriolus varius, Enl. 607, 1;—Or. cayanus, 535, 2;—Or. capensis, Enl. 607.
(N.B. It is from Louisiana, and not from the Cape;)—Or. chrysocephalus, Merr.
Beytr. I, pl. iii, Vieill. Gal. 86;—Or. dominicensis, Enl. 5, 1;—and a species of a
changeable black, whose tail assumes all kinds of shapes, according to the direc-
tion of its lateral feathers, which are sometimes in the same plane with the rest,
and at others turned up, &c. (Quiscalus versicolor) Vieill. Gal. 108; Wils. TI,
xvi, 3. It appears to be both the Gracula quiscala, L., Catesb. pl. xii, and the
Gracula, barita, Lath. I, pl. xviii, or the Pie de la Jamaique : it is found in all the
Antilles, Carolina, &c. It has been confounded with the Rice Eater (Ploceus
niger).
We should separate the Icterus sulcirostris, Spix, LXIV, the lower jaw of whose
much larger beak is obliquely furrowed at base.
(3) M. Vieill. calls these birds, Baltimore and Yphantes, Galer. pl. Ixxxvii. He
separates some of them, which he names more particularly TJ'roupiales, or Acx-
uarvs, pl. Ixxxviii.
(4) Oriolus icterus, Enl. 532;—Oriolus minor and Tanagra bonariensis, Enl. 710;
the same bird;—Oriolus citrinus, Spix, 76;—Le Car. gasquet, Quoy and Gaym.
Voy. de Freycin. pl. xxiv;—Oriolus pheniceus, Enl. 402;—Or. americanus, 236, 2;—
Or. lewcopterus, Lath. Syn. I, frontisp.;—Or. bonana, Enl. 535, 1;—Or. cayenensis,
Ib. 2;—Or. icterocephalus, 342;—Or. xanthocephalus, Ch. Bonap, 1, IV, 1, 2;—Or.
mexicanus, Enl. 533;—Or. xanthornus, 5, 1;—Or. baltimore, 506, 1; Vieill. Galer.
87, and Wils. I, 1, 3;—Or. spurius, Enl. 2, and Wils. I, iv, 1—4;—Or. melancholicus,
Enl. 448, of which Ov. guyanensis, Enl. 536, Vieill. Galer. pl. 88, is the adult.
Add Or. agripennis, Bonap. (Enlb. oryzivora, of others) our common Reed
Bird. Am. Ed.
(5) Gmel. cites fig. 606, 1, of the Pl. Enl., as Oriolus minor; it is a mistake.
Vou. I.—2 O
EE EE ee ee ee
306 AVES.
Oxyryncuus, Tem.
The conical and Lg hae beak of Xanthornus, but it is shorter than
the head.
The species icon. Oxyr. flammiceps, T.; O. cristatus,
Swains. Ill. III, 49; Col. 125, has a partly red tuft on the head,
like several of the Tyrants. The
Dacnis, Cuv.—Pir-Pirs, Buff.
Resemble Xanthorni in their conical and short beak. They con-
nect that subgenus with Regulus. The species known, Mot. cayana,
L.; Enl. 6695 Vieill. Gal. 165, is a small blue and black bird. [See
App. XXII of Am. Ed.)
STurNus, Lin.
The Starlings only differ from the Xanthorni in having a beak
that is depressed, especially near the point.
S. vulgaris, L.3; Enl. 75; Naum. 62. (The Common Biri
Black with violet and green reflections, every where spotted
with white or fawn colour. The young male is of a brown grey.
It is found in great numbers throughout the whole of the eastern
continent, feeds on insects, and is of use to cattle by relieving
them from their attacks. It flies in large and crowded flocks,
is easily tamed, and may be taught to sing and even to speak.
It leaves France in winter. Its flesh is disagreeable.(1)
We can find no sufficient character to enable us to distinguish
(1) Add the Sturnus unicolor of the south of Europe, Tem. Col. 3; Vieill. Gal.
pl. xci;—St. capensis, Enl. 280, from which the St. contra, Albin. IU, 21, does
not differ, but which is from the Indies, and not from the Cape;—St?. militaris, Enl.
113;—St. ludovicianus, Enl. 256, the same as the Alawda magna, Gm. Catesb. 1
33, or the Stowrnelle a collier, Vieill. Gal. pl. xc, and Wils. UI, xix, 2;—the Etour-
neau a camail rouge ( Oriolusruber, Gm.) Sonner. Nouy. g. pl. Lxviii, or Amblyram-
phus tricolor, Leach, Zool. Miscel. pl. xxxvi; a beautiful species from the steppes
of Buenos Ayres, and not from India, as stated by Sonnerat.
N.B. The St. cinclus forms, as we have seen, a genusallied to the Thrushes ;
the St. sericeus, Brown, Ill, 21, is rather a Gracula, Cuy.; the St. collaris is the
same as the Fauvette of the Alps (accentor). The St. carunculatus should, I think,
go along with Philedon.
The species of Osbec, Hernandes, &c. are not well authenticated; as to those of
Pallas, it is to be regretted that we have no figures of them. The Stournes of
Daudin must be replaced with the Thrushes, or the Philedons, and his Quiscales,
partly with the Graculz, Cuv. and partly with Cassicus. Daudin, generally speak-
ing, compieted the confusion of this genus, sufficiently entangled by his prede-
cessors.
‘9
PASSERINA, 307
from the Conirostres with certainty and precision, the differ-
ent genera of the family of the Crows, all of which have a
similar internal structure and external organs, only differing
in a (generally) greater size, which sometimes enables them
to hunt small birds: their strong beak is most commonly com-
pressed on the sides.
These genera are three in number, the Crows, Birds of Pa-
radise, and the Rollers.
Corvus, Lin.
The Crows have a strong beak, more or less laterally flattened,
nostrils covered with stiff feathers, which incline forwards. They
are very cunning, their sense of smell is extremely acute, and they
have, generally, a habit of purloining articles totally useless to
them, such as pieces of money, &c., and even of hiding them.
We more particularly call Crows or Ravens, the large species
whose beaks are the strongest in proportion, and in which the ridge
of the upper mandible is the most arcuated. Their tail is either
round or square.
C. corax, L.; Naum. 53, 1; Vaill. Afr. pl. 51.(1) (The Raven.)
Is the largest of the Passerine which inhabit Europe. Its size
is equal to that of the Cock. Its plumage is entirely black, the
tail is rounded, and the back of the upper mandible arcuated
near the point. It is a more solitary bird than the other species,
flies well and high, scents carrion at the distance of a league,
aud feeds also on fruit and small animals. It sometimes carries
off poultry, builds on the tops of high trees or rocky cliffs, is
easily tamed, and may be taught to speak tolerably well. It
appears to be found in every part of the globe. In the north its
plumage is frequently varied by a mixture of white (Ascan. Ic.
Nat. pl. viii); it is then the Corvus leucophzus, Temm., Vieill.
Gal. 100.
C. corone, L.3 La Corneille; Enl. 495; Naum. 53, 2.(2) (The
Carrion Crow.) A fourth smaller than the Raven; the tail more
square, and the beak less arcuated above.
C. frugilegus, L.; Le Freux; Enl. 484; Naum. 55, (The
Rook.) Still smaller than the preceding, with a straighter and
more pointed beak. The circumference of the base of the lat-
(1) N.B. Enl. 495 appears to be nothing more than a C. corone, and 483 a
young Rook. M. Temminck thinks that the quoted fig. of Le Vaillant is a partic-
ular species peculiar to Africa, which he names C. montanus.
(2) M. Temminck thinks there is a difference between the Crow of Europe and
that of the Cape (Vaill. 52,) which he calls C. segetum.
308
AVES.
ter, except when very young, is divested of feathers, which is
probably occasioned by its habit of thrusting it into the ground
in search of food.
These two species live in large flocks, numbers of them build-
ing together. They feed as much on grain as on insects, and
are found throughout all Europe; remaining in the winter, how-
ever, only in the warmer districts.
C. corniz, L.; Corneille mantelée; Enl. 76; Naum. 54. (The
Royston Crow.) Cinereous; head, wings, and tail, black. It isless
frugivorous, frequents the sea-shore, and feeds upon shell-fish,
&c. Naumanassures us that it often couples with the Black Crow.
C. monedula, L.; Le Choucas, &c.3 Enl. 525; Naum. 56, 1. (The
Jackdaw.) A fourth smaller than the preceding ones; about the
size of a Pigeon; of a less intense black, which around the neck
and under the belly, even verges on cinereous; sometimes all
black. It builds in steeples, old towers, &c., lives in flocks,
feeds on the same substances as the Crows, and is frequently
found with them. Birds of prey have no enemy more vigilant
than the Jackdaw.(1)
Pica, Cuy.
The Pies are less than the Cornix; the upper mandible is also
more arcuated than the other, and the tail long and cuneiform.
Corvus pica, L.; Enl. 488; Naum. 56,2. (The Magpie of
Europe.) . scutatus, Natter., Col. 299, 3;—7'r.
magnificus, Ulig. Col. 299, 2;—T'r, mesoleucos, Temm. Col. 317.
(7) Tr. bilophus, Temm.
N.B. M. Swainson has named those of our Hummingbirds, the middle quills of
whose tail are elongated, Pa#tornis; those with a round or square tail, Lamronr-
320 AVES.
The stems of the primary wing-quills are singularly widened in
some of them,(1) and among those which have none of these orna-
ments, we may still distinguish the fork-tailed species,2) some of
which have their very long lateral quills widened at the end.(3)
Among those which have a square or slightly emarginated
tail, there is one worthy of notice from its extreme smallness,
the
Troch. minimus, Enl. 276, 1; Edw. 1053 Vieill. 64. It is of a
violet-grey colour, and about the size of a Bee.
Another, on the contrary, because it is the largest of the whole
genus, the
Troch. gigas, Vieill., Gal. 180, which is almost equal in size
to the Hirundo apus.(4) .
Upura, Lin.
In this genus we will first place,
Freerius, Cuyv.(5)
Where the nostrils are covered with feathers directed forwards,
from which circumstance several authors have placed these birds
with the Crows, which they also somewhat resemble in their man- |
ners; their beak is a little longer than the head.
Corvus graculus, L.; Le crave d’ Europe, Enl. 255; Naum. 57,
23 Vieill. Galer. 163. The size of a Crow; black; red feet and
beak; wings reaching to the end of the tail or extending beyond
nis; the straight beaked ones, in which the quills of the wings are inflated,
Cameysorterus; and those with a forked tail, Cynantuus.
(1) Zr. latipennis, Enl. 672, 2; Vieill. 21;—7Z'r. ensipennis, Swains. Zool. Ul.
107;—T'r. falcatus, Ib. 82.
(2) Z'r. mellivorus, Enl. 640; Edw. 35, Vieill. 23, 24;—T'r. amethystinus, Gm. .
Enl. 672, 1;-—7%. furcatus, Enl. 509, 2; Vieill. 34;—T'. forficatus, Vieill. 60;—T*r.
smaragdo-saphirinus,V ieill. 36, 40;—T'r. colubris, Edw. 38; Catesb. 65; Vieill. 31, 32,
33;—Tr. Maugeanus, Vieill. 37, 38;—Tr. Langsdorifit, Vieill. 66, 1;—T'r. entcurus,
Vieill. 66, 3;—T%r. mediastinus, Tem. Col. 317;—Orthor. cora, Less. and Garn. 34, 4.
(3) Tr. platurus, Vieill. 52.
(4) Other species with square, or but slightly emarginated tails: Tr. mosquitus,
L., Enl. 227, 2;—7'r. carbunculus, Vieill. 54;—T'r. ourissia, Enl. 297, 3;—Tr. mel-
lisugus, L. Enl. 640, 2;—T'r. rubineus, Gm. Enl. 276, 4, Vieill. 27;—TJ'r. auritus,
Sh. Vieill. 25;—7T'"r. collaris, Vieill. 61, 62;—T'r. superbus, Sh.; longirostris, Vieill.
59, Col. 299, 1;—T'r. mellivorus, 1, Enl. 640, 2;—T'r. leucogaster, Gm. Vieill. 43;—
Tr. imbricatus, Gm. Vieill. 221;—7T'. albirostris,Vieill. 45;—T’. viridis, Vieill. 41;—
Tr. maculatus, Vieill. 44;—T'r. saphyrinus, Sh. Vieill. 35 and 97, 2;—Tr. squa-
mosus, Tem. Col. 203, 1;—T'r. albicollis, 1, Col. 203, 2;— Orthor. Amasili, Less. and
Garn. Voy. de la Cog. 31, 3.
(5) Vieillot has changed this name for Coractas, which, according to Linnzus,
is that of the Rollers.
PASSERINE. 321
it. It inhabits the highest ridges of the Alps and Pyrenees,
nestling there among the cliffs or in the fissures of the rocks like
the Chocard; it is less common, however, and does not so often
unite in flocks. It feeds both on fruit and insects, and when it
descends into the valleys, snow or bad weather may be ex-
pected.(1)
Upupa, properly so styled.»
The Hoopoes have an ornament on the head formed of a double
range of long feathers, which they can erect at will. There is one
in Europe,
» U. epops, L.3 Enl. 52; Naum. 142. (The Hoopoe.) A vinous-
reds wings and tail, black; two transverse, white bands on the
coyverts of the wings, and four on the quills. It seeks insects in
humid earth, lays its eggs in holes of trees or of walls, and |
leaves France,in winter.(2)
Uz. capensis; Enl. 697. (The Cape Hoopoe:) More particu-
larly allied to Fregilus by the anterior, short, and immovable
_ feathers of its tuft which incline forwards and cover the nostrils.
« ,
Promerors, Briss.
No crest on the head, and a very long tail; the tongue, extensible
and forked, enables it, as is affirmed, to live on the nectar of flowers,
like the Cinnyris and the Hummingbirds. (3)
(1) It is impossible to say what combination of the history of this bird with.im-
perfect figures, perhaps of some Curlew, gave birth to the ideal species of the
Cravé huppé or Sonneur (Corvus eremita, L.), a pretended bird of Switzerland, which
has never been seen by any one since Gesner. But the Corv. affinis, Lath. appears
to be a true Fregilus, and we have a totally black species from New Holland.
(2) Add the African species, Upupa minor, Vieill. Prom. pl. ii, and Gal. pl. 184;
~ Vaill. Prom. 23.
(3) Vieill. Galer. pl. clxxxv, has changed Promerops into Falcinellus. The only
one well known is the Upupa promerops or Merops caffer, E:nl. 637, which is the
Sucrier du protea, Vaill. Afr. 139. M. Vaill. is of opinion that the Up. fusca, Gm.,
or papuensis, Lath. Enl. 638, is the female of the Epimaque 2 parements frisés, Enl.
639.—The Up. paradisea, Seb. I, pl. xxx, 8, is the Muscicapa paradisi, with an ill
drawn beak. The Up. aurantia, Seb. I, Ixvi, 5, according to all appearance a
Cassicus. The mexicana, Seb. I, xlv, 3S, is not from Mexico as Seba makes it out,
by applying to it a passage of Nieremberg, lib. x, c. 44, in which he merely speaks
of a Duck. Iam in doubt whether to place here the Promerops cwruleus, Shaw;
Prom. bleu, Vieill.; Upwpa Indica, Lath. or to approximate it to the Up. erythro-
rhynchos.
Vou. I.—2 Q
322 AVES.
Epimacuus, Cuys(1)
The beak of the Upupa and Promerops along with scaly or velvet
feathers which partially cover the nostrils, as in the Birds of Para-
dise; they are natives of the same countries, and their plumage
equally brilliant. The flank-feathers of the male are also more or less
elongated.
Upupa magna, Gm.; U. superba, Lath.; Pepimaque @ pare.
frisés, Enl. 6393; Vaill. Prom. 153. Black; tail tapered, thrice the
length of the body; the feathers on the flanks, elongated, turned
up, frizzled, the edges of a burnished steel-blue, which also
glistens on.the head and belly.(2) 7 ‘
Naturalists have distinguished the square-tailed species, PTILoRIs
of Swainson, such as, ‘.
Ep. albus; Paradis. alba; Blumen. Abb. 96; Vaill. Ois. de
Par. pl. 16 and 17, and better Promer. 173 Vieill. pl. 13, and
better Gal. 185, which, for a long time, was placed among the
Birds of Paradise, on account of the long bunches of white
plumes, which decorate its flanks, the stems of these plumes
being continued out, forming six filaments on each side. The
body is usually of a violet black, and the feathers on the bottom
of the breast have an edging or border of emerald green. It
appears, however, that there are varieties with an entirely white.
body. The primaries of the wing are short, and much less nu-
merous than in birds generally.
Epim. magnificus, Cuv.; Epimaque proméfil, Vaill., Prom. 16.
Velvet-black; tail, slightly forked; head and breast of a most
brilliant steel-blue; feathers on the flanks, long, fringed, and
black.
Epim. regius, Less and’ Garn., Voy. de Duperr., pl. 283 Pti-
loris paradiszeus, Swains. A purple black; top of the head and
upper part of the breast of a fine brilliant green; feathers on the
flanks, rounded and edged with green.
The second and smallest division of the Passerine compre-
hends those in which the external toe, which is nearly as long
(1) Epimachus, the Greek name of a beautiful undetermined East Indian bird.
(2) I hardly know whether I should place the Promerar, Vaill., 8 and 9;—the
Promerup, Vaill., 11 and 12, and his Promerops sifflewr, 10, here, or near the Up.
erythorhynchos. These beautiful birds of New Guinea, which are very rare in our
collections, are usually deprived of their feet, which renders it impossible to class
them with certainty.
e
id
PASSERINA. 323
as the middle one, is united to it as far as the penultimate ar-
ticulation. We make but a single group of them, the
SYNDACTYLE,
Which has long been divided into five genera.
Meroprs, Lin.
The Bee-eaters have an elongated beak, triangular at base, slightly
arcuated and terminating in a sharp point. There is a double emar-
gination on each side of the hind part of the sternum. Their long,
pointed wings, and short feet render their flight similar to that of
Swallows. They pursue insects in great flocks, especially bees,
wasps, &c. and it is remarkable, they are never stung by them.
There is a species, common in the south of Europe, but rare
towards the north, the JZ apiaster, L.; Guépier commun, Enl.
938; Naum. 143; Vaill., Guep., 1 and 2. (The Common Bee-
eater.) A beautiful bird with a fawn coloured back; front and
belly of a sea-green blue; throat yellow, surrounded with black.
It builds in holes excavated by itself along the banks of streams,
‘which are from four to five feet in depth. The young birds re-
main a long time in this retreat with their parents, which in-
duced the ancients to believe that the former supported the
latter when worn out with age.
The two middle quills of its tail are somewhat lengthened,
the first indication of a much greater elongation in the greater
» part of the species foreign to Europe.(1)
The tail of several species, however, is nearly square(2) or
slightly forked,(3) though this sometimes depends upon their
condition when killed.
(1) Such are: Mer, viridis, 740, Vaill. 4;—ornatus, Lath.;—superbus, Nat. Misc.
78;—senegalensis, Enl. 314, and badius, 252, Vaill. 12, 13;—superciliosus, 259, Vaill.
19.—M. nubicns: Vaill. 5, Enl. 649; this individual a been deprived of its long
- quills.—. Savignii, Vaill. 6—M. Cuvieri, Vaill. 9, and Swains, Ill. 76, under the
name of Savignit.—M. Lamark, Vaill. 10.
(2) Merops philippinus, Enl. 57;—M. cayennensis, 454 (N.B. That it is not from
Cayenne).—M. nubicus, 649;—M. erytropterus, 318;—M. malimbicus, Sh. or bicolor, .
Daud. Ann. du Mus, I, xii, and Vaill. 5, Vieill. Gal. 186;—W. gularis, Nat. Misc.
387;—M. amictus, T. Col. 310;—M. Daudin, Vaill. 14.—M. coromandus, Lath. Son-
nerat, Voy. 2, 105, or G. cytrin, Vaill. 11;—M. quinticolor, Vaill. 15;—JZ. minulus,
Vaill. 17;—M. Lechenaud, Vaill. 18;—M. Bullock, Vaill. 20.
(3) M. taiva, Vaill. 8—M. urica, Swains. Zool. Hl. 8. N.B. The Merops conge-
ner, Aldr. I, 876, is not very authentic;—the cafer, Gm. is the Upupa promerops;—the
brasiliensis, Seb. 1, xvi, 1, is most probably an Icterus;—the M. monachus, cornicu-
latus, cyanops, are Gymnops;—the Mer. phrygius, cincinnatus, cucullatus, cyanops,
324. AVES.
We should approximate to the Bee-eaters certain long-tailed
birds, with metallic-coloured plumage, hitherto classed with Pro-
merops, but whose two external toes are almost as extensively
united as those of the former.(1)
There appears to be none of this genus in America, where they
are represented in some respects by the
PRIONITES, Illig.
The Motmots have their feet and carriage, but differ in the beak
which is stronger, the edges of both mandibles being serrated, and in
their tongue, which, like that of the Toucans, is barbed. They are
beautiful birds, as large as the Magpies the plumage on the head,
loose as in the Jays, and a long cuneiform tail; the stems of the two
middle quills being stripped of their barbs for a short distance near
the extremities, gives to the whole a singular appearance. They fly
badly, are solitary, build in holes, feed on insects, and even on small
birds.(2) ea
ALceEpDo, Lin.
The Kingfishers have shorter feet than the Bee- cages and the
beak much longer, which is straight, angular, and pointed; the
tongue and tail are very short. There are two emarginations in their
sternum, as in those of the Bee-eaters and the Rollers. They feed
on small fish which they capture by precipitating themselves into
the water from some branch where they have remained perched,
watching for their prey. Their stomach is a membranous sac. They
nestle like Bee-eaters in holes on the banks of streams, and are found
in both continents. The European species,
A. ispida; Eni. 77; Naum. 144. The size of a Finch; greenish
garrulus, fasciculatus, carunculatus, of Lath. appear to us to be Philedons; we have
even ascertained this to be the fact with respect to most of them;—the M. cine-
reus, Seb. XXXI, 10, is along tailed Cinnyris or Sout-manga.
(1) The Promerops moqueur, Vaill. Prom. 1, 2, and 4 (ipa er ythrorhynchos,
Lath.). The young bird has a black beak.—The Prom. namaquois, Vaill. 5 and 6,
or Falein. cyanomelas, Vieill.
(2) The Blue-headed Motmot, or the Houtou of Guyana, Guira, guaynumbi of
the Brazilians, according to Marcgrave (Ramphastos momota, Gm.); or Pr. brasili-
ensis, Wig. Enl. 370; Vaill. Ois. de Par. &c. I, pl. xxxvii and Xxxvili;—the Motmot
a tete rousse or of Peru; Motmot dombey, Vaill. loc. cit. pl. xxxix, and Vieill. Gal.
pl. exe;-—Pr. Marcii, Spix, 9;—the T'utre of i aia Azz. No. 52, are, to say the
least, closely allied to it.
Motmot, according to Fernandez, is the Mexican name of the first. Prionitis,
from 7e:y, saw, aname given by illiger. M. Vieillot has changed it into Barr-
PILONUS,
©
PASSERINE. ’ 325
waved with black above; underneath, and a band on each side
of the neck, reddish; a wide band of the most cane aqua-
marina blue along the back. |
The species foreign to Europe have also a smooth plumage
variegated with different shades of blue and green.
They may be distinguished among themselves by the eit
which in some is simply straight and pointed as in the common
species,(1) and in others, has an inflated lower mandible.(2)
Of those found in New Holland and its neighbouring coun-
tries, some have a mandible hooked at the point.(3) The greyish
and dull plumage of several of the latter is an indication of their
not visiting the water, and in fact they feed on insects.
Cryx, Lacep.
Kingfishers with the usual beak, but in which the internal toe is
deficient. Three species are found in India.(4),
Topvus, Lin.
The Todies are small birds of America resembling the King-
fishers in their general form as well as in their feet and elongated
_ beak, but the latter is horizontally flattened, and obtuse at the point.
rigs
(1) Ale. (afra, Sh.) maxima, Enl. 679;—aleyon, 715 and 593, and Wils., Am.
Ill, xxxiii, 1;—/orquata, 284;—rudis, 62 and 716;—bicolor, 592;—americana, 591;—
- bengalensis, Edw., ;—ceruleo-cephala, Enl. 356, 2;—cristata, 756, 1;—madagas-
cariensis, 778, 1;—purpured, 778, 2;—superciliosa, 756, 1 and 2;—cinerifrons, Vieill.
Gal. 187 ;—Biru, Horsf. Jay., and T. Col. 289, 1;—semi-lorquata, Swains. Ill. 154;—
asiatica, Ib. 50. .
(2) Al. eapensis, 599;—atricapilla, 673;—smirnensis, 232 and 894, one of the two
species distinguished by Aristotle;—dea, 116, of which Vigors makes his genus ,
Tanysiprers;—chlorocephala, 783, 2;—coromanda, Somer. 218; prateucoeen fate (ja-
waniea, Sh.), 757;—senegalensis, 594 and 356;—cancrophaga, Sh. 334;—melanor-
hyncha, T. Col. 391;—omnicolor, T. Col., 135;—diops, Id. Col. a, ;—Dacelo con-
creta, 1d. Col. 346;—Dacelo cinnamominus, Swains. Ill., 67. 1t is from this division
that M. Leach has made his genus Daceto.
N.B. In several of the fig: Enl. the beaks are not sufficiently inflated.
(3) Alcedo fusca (gigantea, Sh.), Enl. 663; Vieill. Gal. 188;—Dacelo pulchella,
Horsf. Jay. and T. Col. 262;—Dac. Gaudichaud, Quoy and Gaym. Voy. de Freycin.
pl. xxv...
N.B. M. Lesson separates the species with denticulated beaks from the, King-
fishers, by the name of Syma; and by that of Topiramruzs, those whose beak is a —
little depressed and without a ridge, such as lcedo sacra, Lath. See his Mem. ~
among those of the Soc. d’Hist. Nat. tom. II, pl. xi and xii.
(4) Alcedo trydactyla, Pall. and Gm.; Pall., Spic., VI, pl. 11, f. 2; Sonner. i
xxxii;—Ale. tribrachys, Sh. Nat. Misc. XVI, pl. 681;—Alc. mes Horsf., Col.
239, 2.
326 AVES.
The tarsus also is higher, and the tail not so short. They feed on
flies and build on the ground.(1)
We terminate the history of this order with the most singular
of its genera, a genus which has not as much resemblance to the
other Syndactylz as they have to each other, and one which may very
properly be made to form a particular family. It is the
Buceros, Lin.
The Hornbills are large birds of Africa and India, whose enormous
dentated beak is studded with excrescences which sometimes equal
in size the beak itself, and which are always of considerable ex-
tent above. This renders them very remarkable, and allies them
to the Toucans, while, at the same time, their carriage and habits
approximate them to the Crows, and their feet to the Bee-eaters
and the Kingfishers. The shape of these excrescences on the beak
varies with age, and in the very young bird they are not even visi- ‘
ble; the interior is generally cellular. The sternum is slightly emar- Sf
ginated behind, on both sides. The tongue is small and placed at .
the bottom of the throat; they live on all sorts of food, eat soft fruits
hunt mice, small birds, reptiles, and do not even despise carrion.(2)
yt? ge \
(1) Zodus viridis, Enl. 585, 1 and 2, and Vieill. Gal. 124;—T7" ceruleus, Ent.
(istine
AiGes have very improperly placed among the dies, true Muscipete, with, wes)
an emarginated beak and the external toe free, such as the Todus regius, Enl. *
289;—paradiseus, Ib., 234; ;—leucocephalus, Pall. Spic., VI, iii, 2;—the two Pra-
ryrutncr of Desmarets, which are the 7'od. rostratus and nasutus of Shaw, or T'od.
platyrhynchos and macrorhynchos, Gm. Vieill., gives the first, Gal. 126.
(2) Horneitts witu Excrescences. Buc. rhinoceros, Enl. 934, Vaill. Callaos,
. Land 2; B. africanus, Vaill., pl. 17, f. 2, may be a mere variety from age; niger,
Vaill., 13, according to Tem. is a badly preserved specimen of the same;—meno-
ceros, Sh. Enl. 873; Vaill. 9, 10, 11, 12;—cassidix, Temm. Col. 210;—malabaricus,
Lath. VI, ii, or albirostris, Sh.; Waill. Col. 14;—buccinator, T. Col. 284;—gingianus,
Sonn. Voy. Il, pl. cxxi; Vaill., 15;—bicornis, Vaill. 7, the adult female; cavatus,
Id. 4, is the male ata middle age. The pl. 3 and 5 are altered specimens of the
same.—B. hydrocorax, Enl. 282, the young bird; Col. 283, the adult;—violaceus,
Id. 19;—abyssinicus, Enl. 779, the middle age; Vaill. Afr, 230, 231, the adult;
Vieill. Gal. 191;—suleatus, T. Col. 6$;—panayensis, Enl. 780, the female, and 781
‘the old male; Vaill. Col. .16, 17, 18; manillensis, Enl. 891, should be the eee
bird;—fasciatus, Vaill. Afr. 233;—exaratus, T. Col. 211.
Hornbitts witsour excrescences. B, javanicus, Vaill. Cal. 22, the young
male; Afr. 239, the old male, same as the Cal. de Waidjiou, Labill. Voy., B. undu-
latus, Vaill. Cal. 20 and 21, are females of the same; B. erythrorhynchos, Enl. 260;
Vaill. Afr. 238, the young one;—Aastatus, Cuv.! En]. 890, Vaill. 236, 237;—coro-
natus, Vaill. Afr. 234, 235;—bengalensis, Cal. 93.
SCANSORIE. 327
ORDER III.
SCANSORLA.
This order is composed of those birds whose external toe’
is directed backwards like the thumb, by which conformation
they are the better enabled to support the weight of their
bodies, and of which certain genera take advantage in cling-
ing to and climbing upon trees. It is from this that they
have received the common name of Climbers, which in strict-
ness is not applicable to all of them, as there are many true
Climbers which by the disposition of their toes cannot belong
to this order, instances of which we have already seen in the |
Creeper and Nuthatch. .
The Scansoriz usually nestle in the hollows of old trees;
their powers of flight are middling; their food, like that of
the Passerine, consists of insects or fruit, in proportion as
their beak is more or less stout; some of them, the Wood-
peckers for instance, have peculiar means for obtaining it.
The hind part of the sternum, in most of the genera, has a
double emargination; in the Parrots, there is merely a hole,
', and very often that is completely filled up.
GALBULA, Briss.
The Jacamars are closely allied to the Kingfishers by their elon-
gated sharp-pointed beak, the upper ridge of which is angular, and
by their short feet, the anterior toes of which are almost wholly
united; these toes, however, are not precisely the same as those of
the Kingfishers; their plumage moreover is not so smooth, and
N.B. The B. galeatus, of which we only have the head, Enl. 933, and which
Vaillant erroneously considers as an aquatic bird, is a true Hornbill, but whose
excrescence on the beak is invested with an. excessively thick ie the anterior
portion of it particularly.
See the general article onthe Hernbills, by Temminck, in the text of the Planches
Coloriées. P.S. It is to General Hardwick that we are at length indebted for a
knowledge of the B. galeatus, which proves to be, in fact, a true Hornbill, with a
long cuneiform tail; black; white belly; the tail yellowish, with a black band near
the end. Lin. Tr. XIV, pl. xxviii.
r
328. AVES.
alwags has a metallic lustre. They are solitary birds, that live in
wet forests, feed on insects, and build on low branches. _
The American species have a longer and perfectly straight
beak.(1) '
There are some species in the Archipelago of India, whose
shorter, stouter and slightly arcuated beak approximates them
to the Bee-eaters. Their anterior toes are more separate.
They constitute the Jacamerors of Vaillant,(2) who even gives
a figure of one that has no ridge above.(3)
Finally, there are others—the Jacamar-Alcyon, which have
only three toes. They inhabit Brazil.(4) .
Picus, Lin.(5)
‘The Woodpeckers are well characterized by their long, straight,
angular beak, the end of which is compressed into a wedge, and
fitted for splitting the bark of trees; by their slender tongue, armed
near the tip with spines that curve backwards, which by the action
of the elastic horns of the hyoid bone, can be thrust far out of the
beak, and by their tail, composed of ten quills(6) with stiff and
elastic stems, which acts as a prop in supporting them while they
are climbing. They are Climbers par excellence: they wander over
trees in every direction, striking the bark with their beaks, and in- ~
sinuating their long tongue into its cracks and creyices to obtain |
the larvz of insects, on which they feed. This tongue, besides its. ’
armour, is constantly covered with a viscid fluid, secreted by large
salivary glands: it is drawn back into the beak by two muscles,
' which are wound round the trachea like ribands; in this state of re-~ |
traction, the horns of the hyoid ascend under the skin and round the
head, as far as the superior base of the beak, and the sheath of the
tongue is doubled into folds’in the bottom of the throat. Their
(1) Alcedo paradisxa (Galbula paradisea, Lath.), Enl. 271;—Alcedo galbula, L.
(Galb. viridis, Lath.) Enl. 238;—Galb. ruficauda, Nob. Vaill. Ois. de Par. &c. II,
pl. 1; or G. macroura, Vieill. Gal. 29;—Galb. albirostris, Lath. Vaill. pl. li; Vieill.
Ois. Dor. I, pl. iv;—Galb. albiventris, Vaill. xlvi.
(2) Alcedo grandis, Gm.; Galbula grandis, Lath. Vaill. pl. liv.
(3) The Grand Jacamar, Vaill. I, cit. pl. li.
Jacamaciri is the Brazilian name of these birds, according to Marcgrave. Gal-
bula, among the Latins, appears to have indicated the Oriole, it was Mehring who
transferred it to the Jacamars.
(4) Vaill. Jac. Sup. f. 1, and Spix, 57, 2, by the name of Aleyon tridactyla. ‘
(5) Picus, the Latin name for these birds, given to them, it is said, by a king of
Latium.
(6) Strictly speaking, there are twelve;, but the lateral ones, which are very
small, are not counted.
,
w 4
SCANSORI A. 329
stomach is nearly membranous, and they have no ceca, still they also
eat fruit. Fearful and wary, they pass most of their time in a soli-
tary manner, but during the nuptial season they may frequently be
heard summoning their females by loud and rapid tapping on a dry
branch. They build once a year in holes of trees, and each sex alter-
nately broods upon the eggs until they are hatched. There are six
or seven species in Europe.
P. martius, L.; Grand Pic noir; Eni. 596; Naum. 131. (The
Great Black Woodpecker.) “ Almost as large as a Crow, and
entirely black; a beautiful red forms a calotte in the male, but
a mere spot on thé occiput in the female. It prefers the pine
forests of the North.
P. viridis; Pie vert; En}. 3713 Naum. 132. (The Green
* Woodpecker.) Size of a turtle-dove; green above; whitish be-
neath; the calotte red; rump, yellow; one of the most beautiful
birds of Europe. The young are marked with black spots be-
neath, and with white ones onthe mantle. It prefers inhabiting
the woodland plains, and is partial to the beech and elm. It
also seeks food on the ground.
a” P. canus, Gm.; Edw. 65; Naum. 133. A species closely
allied to the preceding, but smaller, more of an ash colour, the
beak more slender, and with a black moustache. The only red
about the male is on the top of the head, and there is none on
the female. It is not found far tothe south, and is*more rarely
seen in France than the preceding, of whose habits it partakes.
Its favourite food consists of ants.
P.. major; L’ Epeiche; Enl. 196, the male, 595, the female;
Naum. 134. (The Great Spotted Woodpecker.) Size of a
Thrush, varied with black and white above; black back and
rump; white beneath; red about the vent; a spot of the same _
colour on the occiput of the male. The calotte of the young
bird is almost wholly red; it prefers evergreen trees, frequently
approaches our dwellings, but never lights on the ground.
P. medius; Moyen Epeiche; Enl. 611; Naum. 136, f. 1 and 2.
Somewhat less; the whole calotte red in both sexes; rump,
black; under part of the tail, reddish. Inhabits temperate and
southern Europe.
P. minor; Petit Epeiche; Enl. 598; Naum. 136, f. 2 and 3.
(The Little Spotted Woodpecker.) Size of a Finch; varie-
gated with black and white above; greyish-white beneath; some
red on the head of the male only. From the north and middle
of Europe. It is asserted that it searches for ants on foot; but
Naumann assures us that such is not the fact.
P. lewconotos, Bechst.; Naum. 135. A spotted Woodpecker
Vou. 1.—2R
330 AVES.
from the north-east of Europe, somewhat larger than the major
and very similar to its but the lower part of the back and rump
are always white, and the calotte of the male red. It sometimes
wanders as far as Germany.
The species foreign to Europe are very numerous, and have a
great mutual resemblance, which even extends to certain dis-
tributions of colour; the red on the head for instance.(1)
There are certain species of Woodpeckers called by Lacépéde
Picorpes, in which the external toe is wanting; having, consequent-
ly, but two before, and one behind; but, in all other respects, they
are similar to the common ones. There is one of them in the north
and east of Europe.
P. tridactylus; Edw. 114; Naum. 137. Intermediate, as to size,
(1) Species analogous to the Black Woodpecker: P. pileatus, L. Enl. 718;—
P. lineatus, L. Eni. 717;—P. principalis, L. Enl. 690;—P. galeatus, Natter. Col.
171, four closely allied species, to one of which probably belongs the P. melano-
leucos, Gm.; Lath. Syn. I, 2, t. xxv;—P. rubricollis, Gm. Enl. 612:—P. robustus,
Spix, 44;—P. albirostris, Id. 45;—P. validus, T. Col. 378, and the female, 402;—P.
erythrocephalus, L. Enl. 117;—P. pulverulentus, T. Col. 389;—P. concretus, Reinw.
Col. 90;—P. chilensis, Voy. de la Coq. 32;—P. torquatus, Wils. Am. III, xx, 3;—P.
dominicanus, Spix, 50.
Species analogous to the Green Woodpecker: P. percussus, T. Col. 390 and
424, the female;—P. bengalensis, L. Enl. 695, of which P. aurantius, Gm. Briss.
IV, pl. vi, f. 1, is probably a mere variety;—P. goensis, Gm. Enl. 696;—P. auru-
lentus, Mig. Col. 59, fig. 1, or macrocephalus, Spix, 53, 2;—-P. puniceus, Horsf.
Col. 423;—P. mentalis, Col. 384;—P. ceylonus, N. Nat. Forsch. 14, pl. 1;—P.
goertan, Gm. Enl. 320;—P. manillensis, Gm.; Sonner. pl. xxxvi;—P. senegalensis,
Gm. Enl. 345, f. 2;—P. passerinus, Gm.; Briss. IV, t. iv, f. 2;—P. luzonicus, Nob.
Sonn. pl. xxxvii;—P. miniatus, Gm. Ind. Zool. t. VI;—P.. chlorocephalus, Gm.
Enl. 784;—P. exalbidus, Gm. Enl. 509;—P. cinnamomeus, Gm. Enl. 524;—P. pal-
alaca, Nob. Enl. 691;—P. jumana, Spix, pochraceus and flavicans, Id. 51.
Species analogous to the Spotted Woodpeckers: P. rubriventris, Vieill. Gal.
27;—P. hirundinaceus, L. En). 694;—P. varius, Gm. Enl. 785;—P. villosus, Gm.
Enl. 754; Wils. I, ix, 3;—P. wndosus, N. Enl. 533;—P. pubescens, Gm. Catesb.
31, 11; WilS. I, ix, 4.
Species with a transversely striped beak: P. moluccensis, Gm. Enl. 748, f. 2;—
P. bicolor, tb. f. 1,—P. rufus, Gm. Enl. 694, f. 1, closely allied to the P. undatus,
Gm.; Edw. 332;—P. carolinus, Gm. Enl. 597 and 692;—P. cayennensis, Gm. Enl.
613;—P. melanochloris, Gm. Enl. 719;—P. striatus, Gm. Enl. 281 and 614;—P.
superciliaris, T. Col. 443;—P. flavescens, Gm.; Brown, II, pl. xii, and Spix, 49;—
P. cardinalis, Sonn., pl. xxxv;—P. querulus, Wils., Am. IL, xv, 1;—P. campestris,
Spix, 46;—P. mace?,.T. Col. 59, 2.
We should observe, that these distinctions of analogy, particularly when taken
from colours, are but of little importance, and that itis very possible that among
the above species, several may be found to constitute but one.
N.B. The Picus auratus has become the genus Coxartes of Swainson.
SCANSORIAE. 331
between the Great and Little Spotted Woodpeckers black, spot-
ted with white above; calotte of the male orange; that of the fe-
male, white.
We might also make a subgenus of those species whose slightly
arcuated beak begins to approach the Cuckoos.(1) One of them
always seeks its food on the ground, although its tail is similar to
the others.(2)
Yunx, Linn.(3)
The Wrynecks have the protractile tongue of the Woodpeckers,
which is also moved by the same kind of mechanism, but the spines
are wanting; their straight and pointed beak is nearly round, and
without any angles; the quills of their tail are like those of birds in
general. Their mode of life is that of the Woodpeckers, except that
they climb but seldom. There is one of them in Europe.
Y. torquilla, L.; Enl. 698; Naum. 138. (The Common Wry-
neck.) The size of a Lark; brown above, prettily vermiculated
with small blackish waves, and longitudinal fawn coloured and
black streaks; whitish, transversely striped with black beneath.
It derives its name from its singular habit, when surprised, of
twisting its head and neck in opposite directions.
The Picumni, Temm. can scarcely be said to differ from the Wry-
necks, except in their very short tail. They are very small birds,(4)
some of which have but three toes like the Picoides.(5)
Cucutvs, Lin.(6)
The Cuckoos have a middling, well cleft, compressed, and slightly
arcuated beak; the tail, long. They live on insects, and are birds
passage. We subdivide this numerous genus as follows:
(1) Such as the Picus auratus (Cuculus auratus of the 10th Ed.) Enl. 695 and
Wils. I, ii;—Picus cafer, Lath. or proméipic, Vaill. Prom. 32;—P. poicilophos, T.
Col. 198, f. 1.
(2) Picus arator, Nob., Vaill. Afr. pl. cclv and cclvi.
» The only additional abstraction that we make from the genus Picus, is the P.
minutus, Lath. (Yunx minutissimus, Gm. Enl. 786, 1; Vieill. Gal. 28), which in
fact is a Wry-neck.
(3) Xunx, the Greek name of this bird, Torauiztxa the Latin one.
(4) P. minule, T. (Yunx minutissima) Gm. Enl. 786, 1;—P. @ towpet (Picum-
nus cirrhatus, T.) Col. 371, 1; Vieill. Gal. 28;—P. mignon (P. exilis, T.); Col.
571, 2.
(5) P. abnormis, T., Col. 371, 3.
(6) Koxxvé, cuculus, cuckoo, expresses the cry of the European species.
332 AVES.
Tue True CucKcoos
Have a moderately strong beak, short tarsi, and ten quills in the
tail. They are celebrated for the singular habit of laying their eggs
in the nests of other insectivorous birds, and; what is not less extraor-
dinary, these latter, which are often a considerably smaller species,
take as much care of the young Cuckoo as of their own true offspring,
and that too, even when its introduction has been preceded, which’
often happens, by the destruction of their eggs. The rationale of this
phenomenon, which is unique in the history of birds, is unknown.
Hérissant has attributed it to the position of the gizzard, which, in
fact, is placed much farther back in the abdomen, and is less pro-
tected by the sternum than in other birds. The ceca are long, and
the lower larynx has but a single muscle proper. There is one of
them very generally found throughout Europe, —
C. canorus, L.; Enl. 811. (The Common Cuckoo.) An ash
coloured grey; white belly, striped transversely with black; sides
of the tail spotted with white; a red takes the place of the grey
in the young bird. But another species,
C. glandarius, Edw. 57; Naum. 130, the male; Col. 414, the
female,(1) which is sometimes seen in Europe, has a more sono-
rous note, and is crested and spotted.
The warm countries of both hemispheres pe several
others.(2)
Africa, in particular, has several beautiful species, of a green
colour, more or less gilded; their beak is rather more de-
pressed than that of the Common Cuckoo.(3)
In others, mostly spotted, the beak is vertically higher.(4)
The
(1) Cuculus pisanus, Gm. is the young.
(2) Cuculus capensis, Vaill. Afr. pl. 200, which is probably nothing more thana
variety of the common one;—solitarius, Nob., Vaill. 206;—radiatus, Sonner. Voy.
I, pl. 79;—clamosus, Nob. Vaill. 204, 205;—edolius, Nob. Vaill. 207, 208. N.B,
Cuc. serratus, Sparm. Mus. Carls. 3, is the male; melanoleucos, Enl. 272, the female;
—coromandus, Enl. 274, 2andavar., Vaill. a ane 1CANUS, Enl. 816, or carolinen-
sis, Wils. III, xxviii, 1;—erythrophtalmus, Wb., 2?—flavus, Enl! 814.
N.B. The C. mindanensis, Enl. 277, and its male C. orientalis, Enl. 274, 1, are
separated from them by M. Vigors and Horsf. under the generic name of Eupy-
NAMYS.
(3) Cue. auratus, Enl. 657, Vaill. 211; ee Vaill. 210;—/ucidus, Lath. Syn.
I, pl. xxiii, and Col. 102, f. 1;—capreus, Id. Supp. 134, and Vieill. Gal. 42;—chal-
cites, T. Col. 102, f. 2, the female.
(4) Cuc. punctatus, Enl. 771, and scolopaceus, 586, and perhaps even maculatus,
764, are varieties;—honoratus, Enl. 294, Vaill. 216;—/aitentis, Sparm. Mus, Carls.
SCANSORLA. 388
Covas, Vaill.
Only differ from the Cuckoos in their elevated tarsi.(1) They
build in hollow trees, and do not lay their eggs in strange nests; a
fact, so far as’regards those species whose mode of breeding is
known, that cannot be denied.
We may separate from them an American species with a long
beak, that is only curved near the tip.(2)
M. Le Vaillant has already, and very properly, separated from the
other Cuckoos the
Centrorvs, Illig.
Or the Coucals,(3) species of Africa and India, in which the thumb
nail is long, straight and pointed, asinthe Larks. Those which are
known belong to the eastern continent. They also build in hollow
trees.(4)
We should also distinguish with that naturalist, the
Covrots,(5) or Vouroupriovus of Madagascar,
In whose thick, pointed, straight and compressed beak, which is
but slightly arcuated at the point of its upper mandible, the nostrils
are pierced obliquely in the middle of each side. Their tail is com-
posed of twelve quills. They live in the woods, and build like the
preceding birds. They are said to.be mostly frugivorous.(6)
32;—mindanensis, Enl. 277;—gaira, Vieill. Gal. 44; Freycin. Voy. Zool. 26. Why
Vieillot makes an Anis of it, it is impossible to say.
(1) From this division Vieillot makes his genus Coceyzus, Gal. 41. It is the
Macrorus of Spix, Cuc. madagascariensis, Enl. $25;—C. Lalandii, T. Col. 440;—
cristatus, Enl. 589; Vaill. 217;—cexruleus, 295, 2; Vaill. 218;—nzvius, Enl. 812;—
cayanus, Enl. 211;—C. brachypterus, T. or Macropus caixana, Spix, 43;—C. seni-
culus, Enl. 813;—Macropus phasianellus, Spix, 42.
(2) Cuc. vetula, Enl. 772. Itis upon this distinction that Vieill. has founded his
genus SavroTueEra, Galer. 38.
(3) Coucal, compounded of Cuckoo and Lark (Coc. and Alouette); centropus, feet
with spurs. Vieill. has changed it into Coryvontz, and Leach into Poporuitus.
(4) Cuculus egyptius and senegalensis, Enl. 332; Vaill. Afr. 219;—philippensis,
Nob. Enl. 824, or C. bubutus, Horsf. Jav. ;—nigro-rufus, Nob. Vaill. Afr. 220;—tolu,
Enl. 295; Vaill. 219;—bengalensis, Brown, Tl. XU1;—rujinus, Nob., Vaill. 221;—
zthiops, Nob. Vaill. 222;—gigas, Nob. Vaill. 223;—atralbus, Voy. de la Coq.
Zool. 34. :
(5) Courol, from Cuckvo and Roller. From this division Vieill. has made his genus
Lerrosomus, Gal. 29.
(6) Cuculus afer, Enl. 387, the male, whose beak is badly. drawn, and 588, the
female, where it is better, Vaill. 226, 227.
334 | AVES.
InpicaTor, Vaill.
The Indicators are also inhabitants of Africa, and, as they feed
on honey, have become celebrated for guiding the natives to the
retreats of the wild bees, which they seek with loud cries. Their
beak is short, high, and nearly conical, like that of the Finch. Their
tail of twelve quills is at once slightly cuneiform, and partly forked.
Their singularly hard skin shields them from the stings of the
bees, which, being continually persecuted, sometimes kill them
by attacking their eyes.(1) The
Barzacovus, Vaill.(2)
Have a conical, elongated beak, but little compressed, and slightly
arcuated at the end, whose base is furnished with slender feathers
or stiff hairs, which ally them to the Barbets.(3)
Ma cona, Vaill.(4)
A very stout beak, round at base, and arcuated near the point, with
a large naked space about the eyes. The nostrils of some(5) are
round, and placed near the base of the beak, in others they are nar-
row and situated near its edge.(6) They are natives of Ceylon, and
as it is said, live chiefly on fruit.
It is probable that we should distinguish those species in which the
beak is not so stout, and which have scarcely any of the naked space
about the eyes.(7)
ScytTuropes, Lath.
The beak still longer and stouter than that of Malcoha, and
(1) Cuculus indicator, Vaill. Afr. 241;—minor, Nob. Id. 24;—albirostris, T. Col.
367. Vieill. has adopted this name and genus, Gal. 45.
(2) Barbacou, composed of barbet and cuckoo. From it Vieill. has made his genus
MonastA, Gal. 36.
(3) Cuculus tranquillus, Enl. 512; Spix, 41, 2;—C. tenebrosus, En]. 505, and
Col. 328, 2;—C. rufalbinus, T. Col. 323;—Monasa personata, Vieill. Gal. 36, or
Bucco albifrons, Spix, 41.
N.B. We should also observe, that the Cuc. paradiszus, Briss. IV, pl. xiv, A, 1,
is the Drongo de Paradis (Lanius malabaricus), and that the Cue. sinensis, Id. Ib. A,
2, is the Corvus erythrorhynchos. ‘These two remarks are from Le Vaillant, who
has done more. to elucidate the history of the Cuckoos than any other naturalist.
(4) Vieill. calls the Malcoha, Pucntcorumvus, Gal. 37, —
(5) The Malcoha Rouverdin, Vaill. Afr. 223. ,
(6) The Malcoha, 1d., 224; or Cuc. pyrrocephalus, Forster, 3, Vieill. Gal. 37.
(7) The Malcoha @ bee peint (Phenicopheus calyorhynchus, T.) Col. 349;—Phe-
nt. pavanicus, Horsf, Jay.
SCANSORIA. 335
grooved on each side with two shallow longitudinal furrows ; cir-
cumference of the eyes naked; nostrils round. These birds approach
the Toucans in their beak; but their simple tongue, which is not
ciliated, separates them. One species only is known, which is as
large as a Crow, whitish, with a grey mantle; found in New Hol-
land.(1)
Bucco, Lin.(2)
The Barbets have a thick conical beak, inflated on the sides of its
base, and furnished with five bundles of stiff hairs directed forwards;
one behind the nostril, one on each side of the base of the lower
jaw, and the fifth under its symphysis. The wings are short, and
their proportions are heavy, as is also their flight. They live on
insects, and will attack small birds; they also eat fruit. They build
in the hollows of trees. We may divide them into three subgenera:
The Barsicans, Buff.—Pocontas, Illig.(3)
Have one or two strong teeth on each side of the upper mandible,
the ridge of which is blunt and arcuated; the hairs on the beak are
remarkably rigid. They are more frugivorous than the other spe-
cies, and are found in India and Africa.(4)
Bucco, Cuv.(5)
In the true Barbets, the beak is simply conical and slightly com-
pressed, with a blunt ridge, somewhat raised in the middle. They
are found in both continents, and several of them are ornamented
with bright colours. During the nuptial season they fly in pairs,
and the remainder of the year in small flocks.(6)
(1) Scythrops nove-hollandizx, Lath. or Scyth. australasiz, Sh., Philip. 165 and
John White, p. 142; two bad figures. Those are better in Col. 290, and Vieill.
Gal. 39.
(2) Bucco, the name given to this genus by Brisson, on account of the inflation
of the mandible at its base, from bucca (cheek).
(S) Barnrieans, because they are connected with both the Barbets and the
Toucans: Pogontas, from zayay, beard; but the latter has long been applied to a
genus of fishes by Lacépéde.
(4) Bucco dubius, Gm. (Pogonias sulcirostris), Leach, Zool. Misc., II, 76, Enl.
602; Vaill., Ois. de par. etc. IL, pl. xix;—Pog. erythromelas, Vieill. Gal. 32;—P.
levirostris, Leach, 77; Vaill., pl. K; Le barb. a ventre rose, Vaill. loc. cit. pl. A, is its
young;—P. personatus, T. Col. 201;—P. niger, Enl. 688, 1; Vaill., 29, 30, 31;—
P. rubicon, Vaill. pl. D.
(5) Vieillot has changed this name into Carrro.
(6) Bucco grandis, Enl. 871;—viridis, Enl. 870;—flavifrons, Nob. Vaill., I, cit.
55;—cyanops, Nob., Id., Ib., 21, or Capito cyanocollis, Vieill. Gal. 35;—Lathami,
336 AVES.
Tamaria, Cuv.(1)/ |
The extremity of the upper mandible of the beak, which is some-
what more elongated and compressed, is curved downwards. The
large head, short tail and great beak of these birds give them a stupid
appearance. All the known species are from America, and live on
insects. Their natural disposition is sad and solitary.(2)
Trogon, Lin.(3)_
The Couroucoui, along with the hairy fasciculi of the Barbets, have
a short beak, which is more broad than high, and curved from the
base, its upper ridge arcuated and blunt. Their small feet, feathered
nearly down to the toes, long broad tail, fine light and dense plu-
mage, give them quite a different air. Some part of their plumage
usually has a metallic lustre, the remainder being coloured more or
less vividly. They build in hollow trees, live on insects, and remain
in a solitary and quiet mood on low branches in the centre of marshy
forests, never being seen on the wing except during the morning
and evening. They are found in both continents.
The edges of the mandibles, in the American species, are
dentated.(4) In those of the eastern world, they are more
entire.(5)
Lath., Syn. I, pl. xxii;—philippensis, En). 333;—rubricapillus, Brown, Ill., xiv;—
rubricollis, Nob. Vaill. 35, should they not prove to be three varieties; forquatus, N.,
Vaill., 37;—vroseus, N., Vaill., 53;—miger, Enl. 688, 1; Vieill. Gal. 33;—mayanen-
sis, Lath.;—elegans, Gm. Enl. 618;—barbiculus, N., Vaill., 56;—-parvus, Mas., Vaill.,
32, female, Enl. 746, 2;—erythronotos, Nob. Vaill., 57;—zeylanicus, Brown, II,
XV ;—cayanensis, Enl. 206;—peruvianus, Nob. Vaill., 27;—nigrothorax, 'T., Vaill.,
28, which may also prove three varieties;—fuscus, Vaill., 43;—armillaris, T. Col.,
89, 1;—gularis, Id., Ib., 2;—chrysopogon, T. Col., 285;—versicolor, T. Col., 309;—
Mystacophanes, T. Col. 315, Vaill. pl. C,—auro-virens, T., Vaill. pl. E.
(1) Tamarta, the Brazilian name of one of these birds, according to Marcgrave.
In Paraguay, Azzara says, they are called Chacurus. It isto them that Temminck
applies the term Carrro.
(2) Bucco macrorhynchos, Enl. 689;—melanoleucos, Enl. 688, 2;—collaris, En.
395;—tamatia, Enl. 746, 1, Vieill. Gal. 34 (Lamatia maculata, Nob.);—Cap. me-
lanotis, T. Col. 94;—Cyphos macrodactylus, Spix, 39, 2.
(3) Curoucou expresses their cry, and is their Brazilian name; that of Trogon
was conferred on them by Mehring. :
(4) In America: Trogon curucui, Enl. 452, Vaill., cowrouc, 1, 2;—T*r. rosalba,
Vaill. 6, or variegatus, Spix, 38;—viridis, Enl. 195, Vaill. 3, 4, Spix, 36;—violaceus,
Noy.;Comm. Petr. XI, pl. xvi, f. 8;—sérigilatus, Enl. 765;—rufus, Enl. 736, Vaill.
9;—Tr. atricollis, Vieill. Gal. 31, or oranga, Vaill. 7, 8, 15, or sulfuraceus, Spix,
38;—T'r. domicellus, Vaill. 13;—Tr. albiventer, Vaill. 5.
(5) In Asia, Trogon fasciatus, Ind. Zool: pl. v;—T. oreskios, T. Col. 181;—T.
Reinwardii, T. Col. 124;—T* Duvaucelii, T. Col. 291, Vaill. 14;—7' condea, T.
SCANSORIA. ey faa
One of them is remarkable for the figure of its tail; Zr. tem-
nurus, T., Col., 3263 and another for the length of, the tail co-
verts, which nearly equals that of the body, Zr. pavonius, 'T.,
Col. 372; Spix, 35. Itis celebrated in the mythology of the
Mexicans, and much in request among them for ornamental
purposes.
CrororuaGa, Lin. .
The Ani(1) are known by their beak, which is thick, compressed,
arcuated, entire, elevated, and surmounted with a vertical and
trenchant crest.
Two species are known, both from the hot and low districts
of America. Their tarsi are strong and elevated, the tail long
and rounded, and the plumage black. Crotophaga major, and
Croto. ani, Enl. 102, fig. 1 and 2, Vieill. Gal. 43,
These birds feed on insects and grain, and live in flocks, seve-
_ ral couples laying their eggs, and even brooding over them in
the same nest, which, together with the branches that support
it, is of a size proportioned to the number of couples that have
constructed it. They are easily tamed, and may be taught to
speak, but their flesh has a disagreeable odour.
Rampnastos, Lin.(2)
' The Toucans are easily distinguished from all other birds by their
enormous beak, which is almost as thick and as long as their body,
light and cellular internally, arcuated near the end, and irregularly
indented along its edges; and by their long, narrow, and ciliated
tongue. They are confined to the hot climates of America, where
they live in small flocks, feeding on fruit and insects; they also de-
vour other birds’ eggs, and their callow offspring. The structure
of their beak-compels them to swallow their food without mastica-
tion. When they have seized it, they toss it into the air to swallow
it with more facility. Their feet are short, and their wings have
+
Col. 321;—7T. Temminckii, Vaill. 12;—In Africa, Zr. narina, Vaill. Afr. 228, » 2295
and Cour. 10 and 11.
We may be allowed to doubt if the Tvogon maculatus, Brown. Hl. XIE, oe a
true Couroucou.
(1) Ani, Anno, names of these birds in Guiana and Brazil. Crotornacus was
formed by Brown (Nat. Hist. Jamaic.), from the circumstance of the Ani in that
island flying on the cattle in pursuit of the Tabanus and the Tick. _ Kgorav, musea
» caning.
(2) Toucan fro om their Brazilian name T'uca; Rhamphastos, a name invented by
Linneus, from ez“¢goc, beak, on account of the enormous size of that organ.
Voi: kh—2'S
338 AVES.
.
but little extent; their tail is tolerably sa They build in the hol-
lows of trees.
Tuer Tovucans, properly so called,
Have a beak larger than their head; they are generally black, with
lively colours on the throat, breast, and rump. These parts of their
plumage were employed, formerly, in a kind of embroidery.(1)
Preroctossus, Illig—Aracanri, Buff.
The beak not so thick as the head, and invested with a more
solid horn; their size is less, and the ground of their plumage green
with some red or yellow on the throat and breast.(2)
Psirtracus, Lin.
The Parrots have a stout, hard, solid beak, rounded on all sides
and enveloped at base by a membrane in which the nostrils are
pierced, and a thick fleshy and rounded tongue; two circumstances
which give them the greatest facility in imitating the human voice.
Their inferior larynx, which is complicated and furnished on each
side with its three muscles, also contributes to this facility. Their
vigorous jaws are set in motion bya greater number of muscles than
is.found in other birds. Their intestines are very long, and they
have no cecum. ‘They feed on all sorts of fruit, climb among the
branches of trees by the aid of their beak and claws, and build in
hollow trees. Their voice is naturally harsh and disagreeable, and ~
they are almost universally ornamented with the brightest colours,
hardly any of them being found beyond the torrid zone. They exist
however in both continents, the species of course differing in each.
Every large island even has its peculiar species, the short wings of
these birds not allowing them to cross any great extent of water.
The Parrots, consequently, are very numerous: they are subdivided
by the forms of their tails and some other characters.
(1) Ramphastos toco, Enl. 82, Vaill. 2;—carinatus, Wagler, Edw. 329;—tucanus,
Enl. 307;—piscivorus, L. or Callorhynchus, Wagler, Edw., 64;—maximus, Nob.,
Vaill. Touc. pl. vi;—pectoralis, Sh. or Tucat, Lich. Enl. 269;—Aldrovandi, Sh.,
Alb., Il, 25;—erythrorhynchos, Sh., Enl. 262, Vaill. 3;—Valantii, Wagler, Vaill.
4;— Tocard, Id. Vaill. 9;—vitellinus, Id. Vaill. 17, Swains. Zool. Ill. 56;—dicolorus,
Wagler, or chlororhynchos, Temm. Vaill. 8:
(2) Ramph. viridis, Enl. 727, 728, Vaill. 16, 17;—aracari, Enl. 166, Vaill. 10,
11, Vieill. Galer. 30;—piperivorus, L. or Culik, Wagler, Enl. 577, 729, Vaill. 13
and 14;—Pterogl. sulcatus, Swains. Zool. Ill. 44, Col. 356;—picatus, Albin. I,
25;—Azzarex, Vaill. Suppl. A;—inscriptus, Swains. Zool. Ul. 90;—badlloni, Vaill.
18;—macalirostris, Vaill. 15, and Suppl. AA.
>
SCANSORIE. 339
Among those which have a long cuneiform tail, we first distinguish
‘
Ara, Kuhl.
The Aras or Maccaws, whose cheeks are divested of feathers.
They are American species, most commonly very large, and their
plumage extremely brilliant, on account of which many of them are
sent alive to Europe.(1)
The other long-tailed Parrots have the common name of
Cornurus, Kuhl,
Or Paroquets. Le Vaillant divides them into the
ARrA-PAROQUETS,
‘Which have a naked space round the eye; they inhabit America
like the Ara:(2) and into the
$ ARROW-TAILED PAROQUETS,
‘Where the two middle quills extend far beyond the others.(3)
Such is the first species known in Europe, where it was —
brought by Alexander; Psittacus Mexandri, L., Enl. 642. It is
of a fine green, with a red collar on the neck, and a black spot
under the throat. The third subdivision of Le Vaillant is the
(1) Psttt. macao, L., Vaill. 1;—Ps. wracanga, Enl. 12, Vaill. 2;—Ps. tricolor,
Vaill. 5;—Ps. hyacinthinus, Lath., or AnodorhynchusMaximiliant, Spix, XI;—Ps.
ararauna, Enl. 36;—Ps. militaris, Vaill. 4;—Ps. severus, Vaill. 8, 9, 10;—Ps.
macawuanna, Enl. 864, Vaill. 7;—4rara purpureo-dorsalis, Spix, XX1V.
(2) Ps. guyannensis, Enl. 167, 407, Vaill. 14, 15;—Ps. squamosus, Shaw, Mis-
cell. 1061;—Ps. vittatus, Vaill. 17;—Ps. versicolor, Enl. 144, Vaill. 16;—Ps.
solstitialis, Vaill. 16—19, or 4ratinga cree cephalus, Spix, XIV. His Aratinga
ere is a variety.
(3) It is this division which furnished MM. Vigors and Horsfield with their genus
ae Sa We should place in it,
Ps. torquatus, Briss. Enl. 551;—Ps. Alexandri, L. Enl. 642, Vaill. 30; Edw.
292, the young of which, according to Kuhl, is Ps. ewpatria, L., Vaill. 73, Enl.
239;—Ps. annulatus, Bechst. Vaill. 75, 76,—Ps. erythrocephalus, .L.., gingianus,
Lath. Vaill. 45, Edw. 233;—Ps. malaccensis, Gmel.;—Ps. barrabandi, Swains. TI,
59, or barbulatus, Bechst. Enl. 888, Vaill. 72;—Ps. bengalensis, Gm. Enl. 888,
Vaill. 74;—Ps. papuensis, Sonner. Nouy., Guin., W1;—Ps. rujirosiris, Enl. 580;—
Ps. hematodus, Enl. 61, or cyanocephalus, Enl. 192, or moluccanus, Enl. 743, or
cyanogaster, Shaw, Gen- Zool., VIII, pl. lix, and J. White, p. 140, all varieties of
age. MM. Vigors and Horsfield having observed in this last certain sete under
the tip of the tongue, erected it into a genus by the name of Tricnogxossus. It
would be a matter of some interest to ascertain if many other Paroquets do not
possess this same character.
@
340 AVES.
ParoqueEts, with a tail widened near the end:(1)
And the fourth, that of the Common Paroaquets, whose tail is
equally cuneiform.(2) ‘To these may be added, those species whose
tail is square; the two middle quills of which are elongated, the
lengthened part however being without barbs, except at the tip.(3)
Among the short and equal-tailed Paroquets we distinguish the
Cocxaroos.(4)
Marked by a crest formed of long and narrow feathers, placed on
two lines, which can be raised or depressed at the will of the bird.
They inhabit the most remote parts of India; the plumage of the
greater number is white. and of all the different species they are.the
most docile. They prefer marshy grounds.(5) ;
There are some species lately discovered in New Holland, whose
—. $$
(1) Ps. niger, Enl. 500, Edw., 5;—Ps. vasa, Vaill. 51;—Ps. masearinus, 3, Enl.
5, Vaill., 139;—Ps. erythropterus, Shaw, Nat. Miscell., 653;—Ps. eximius, Vaill.
28, 29, Sh. Misc. 93:—Ps. Pennanti, Lath., J. White, p. 174 and 175, or elegans,
Gm. Vaill., 78, 79, or gloriosus, Shaw, 53;—Ps. Brownti, Kuhl, Vaill., 80;—Ps.
scapulatus, Bechst. Vaill., 55, 56, Enl., 240;—Ps. tabuensis, Lath., or atropurpu-
reus, Sh., Lev., Mus, 34;—Ps. amboinensis, Gm, Enl., 240, and J. White, p.
168, 169.
It is from this division that MM. Vigors and Horstield have made their eps,
PLarycences.
(2) Ps. guaruha, Kuhl, or: luteus, Lath., Vaill. 20, or Aratinga caroline, Spixh
xii;—Ps. guyanensis, Gm., or macrognathes, Spix, xXv;—Ps. ludovicianus, Enl.
499, or carolinensis, Wils., Ill, xxvi,, 1;—Ps. pertinax, Enl. 528, Vaill. 34, 37;—
Ps. aureus, L., Vaill., 41, Edw., 235;—Ps. eanicularis, Enl. 767, Vaill., 40;—Ps.
zruginosus, Edw., 177;—Ps. bucealis, Vaill. 67;—Ps. virescens, Enl. 359, Vail
59;—Ps. sosova, Enl. 456, 2, Vaill., 58, 59, and Ps. tovi, Enl. 190, 1;—Ps. ma-
rinus, Enl. 768, Vaill. 38;—Ps. ponticerianus, Enl. 517,, Vaill., 31;—Ps. xanthoso-
mus, Bechst., Vaill., 61;—Ps. capistratus, Bechst., Edw., 232, Vaill. 47;—Ps. or-
natus, Enl. 552, Waill. 52, Edw. 174;—-Ps. marginatus, Vaill. 60, or olivaceus, Enl.
287;—Ps. macrorhynchus, Ent. 713, Vaill 83;—Ps. grandis, Enl. "518 and 683; bet-
ter, Vaill. 126, 127, 128;—Ps. incarnatus, Vaill. 46;—Ps. borneus, Vaill. 44;—Ps.
Nove-Guinex, Vaill. 49;—Ps. concinnus, Vaill. 48;—Ps. pusillus, Vaill. 63;—Ps.
humeralis, Vaill. 50;—Ps.. discolor, V. 62;—Ps. undulatus, Sh. 673;—Ps. chrysos-
tomus, Kubl, pl. 1;—Ps. pulchellus, Vaill. 68;-——Ps. zonarius, Sh. 657.
(3) Ps. setarius, Temm. Col. 15.
(4) Vieillot has named this division Prycroropuvs.
(5) Ps. cristatus, Ent. 265;—Ps. philippinarum, Ent. 191;—Ps. malaccensis,
Enl. 498;—Ps. sulfureus, Enl. 145 ;—Ps. galeritus, White, 237;—Ps. nasicus, T.
Col, 351,
—
~
ee
SCANSORIA. 341
, ;
tufts are more simple, less mobile, and composed of broad feathers
of a moderate Iength. They live ea on roots.(1)
In others, the crest merely consists of a few pendent feathers, fur-
nished with slender barbs near the tips only, which form a kind of
tufted bunch.(2) w
But in the greater number, there is no crest whatever. The species
best known for its aptness in learning to speak is,
Psitt. erythacus; Jaco; Enl. 311; Edw. 163; Vaiil. 99—103,
(The Grey Parrot.) Cinereous, with ared tail. From Africa.
The species with green plumage are the most numerous.(3)
The name of Loris has been applied to those species, the ground
of whose plumage is red, which have a tail somewhat wedge-shaped,
and which closely approach certain Paroquets. They are only found
in the East Indies. (4) There are some small species with a very
short tail, Psrrracutus, Kuhl, which are also, but improperly, call-
ed Paroquets. (5)
(1) Ps. Banksii, Lath., Syn. Supp. 109, Shaw, Misc. 50;—Ps. funereus, Shaw,
Misc. 186;—Ps. Cookii, Tem., or Leachii, Kuhl, pl. iiij—Ps. roseus, Kuhl, Col. 81.
This division has become the genus CatyeroruyNncuus of M Vigors and Horsfield.
(2) Ps. galeatus, Lath., Suppl.
(3) Ps. melanocephalus, Enl. 527; Vaill. 119, 120;—Ps. signatus, Vaill. 105;—
Ps. menstruus, Fnl. 384; Vaill: 114, or flavirostris, Spix, xxxi;—Ps. purpureus,
Enl. 408; Vaill. 115;—Ps. sordidus, Vaill. 104;—Ps. amazonicus, Enl. 13, 120, 312;
Vaill. 98, 99;—Ps. xstivus, Enl. 547, 879; Vaill. 110 and 110 bis;—Ps. exrulifrons,
Sh., Edw. 230; Vaill. 135;—Ps. cyanotis, Tem. or brasiliensis, Lin., Edw. 161;
Vaill. 106;——Ps. dominicensis, Enl. 792, or vinaceus, Pr. Max., or columbinus, Spix,
xxvii;—Ps. Dufresnianus, Kuhl, Vaill. 91;—Ps. autumnalis, Edw. 164; Vaill. 111;
Ps havanensis, Enl. 360; Pail. 122;—Ps. leucocephalus, L., Enl. 335, 548, 549;
Vaill. 107, 108, 108 bis, 109;-—Ps. albifrons, Mus. Carls. 52;—Ps. pulverulentus,
Enl. 861; Vaill. 92;—Ps. festivus, Enl. 840; Vaill. 129;—Ps. accipitrinus, Enl. 520,
and Spix, Xxxil, a;—Ps. senegallus, Enl. 288; Vaill. 116, 118;—Ps. Levaillantii,
Lath.; or infuscatus, Sh.; Waill. 130, 131;—Ps. gramineus, Enl. 862; Vaill. 121;—
Ps. sinensis, Edw. 231, Enl. 514, Vaill. 132;—Ps. Geoffroii, Vaill. 112, 113, or Ps.
Bega: Sh. oe seein Spits ena NS mitr pigiet Pr. Max.; Col. 207, or
(4) Ps. ee ae Vaill. 125:—Ps. ssi Enl. 119; Vaill. 94, 95;—Ps. lori,
Enl. 158; Vaill. 123, 124;—Ps. garrulus, F.nl. 216; Vaill. 96;—Ps. cyanurus, Sh.,
Vaill. 97.
(5),Ps. passerinus, Enl. 455, 1; Schaw., Misc., 893, and Spix, XXXII;—Ps.
tut, Enl. 456, 1; Vaill. 70;—Ps. melanopterus, Enl. 591, 1; Vaill. 69; Sh., 132;—
Ps. pileatus, Enl. 744; Vaill. 135;—Ps. Barrabandi, Vaill. 134;—Ps. canus, Enl.
791, 2; Sh. 425;—Ps. swindernianus, Kuhl, pl. ii;—Ps. galgulus, Enl. 190, 2;—
Ps. philippensis, En). 520;—Ps. vernalis, Mus., Carls., 29;— Ps. indicus, Edw. 6;—
Ps. torquatus, Sonner., N. Guin., 393;—Ps. simplex, Kuhl, Sonner., Tb. 38, 1;—
Ps. pullarius, ¥.n\. 60;—Ps. miecropterus, Sonner, 41;—Ps. taitianus, Gm. Enl.
455, 2; Vaill. 65, or Ps. porphyrus, Sh. Misc. Tihs, sparmannt, Mus., Carls.. 27;
342 AVES.
All this variety of size and colours can hardly authorise any
generic distinctions. There are only the
PAROQUETS A TROMPE, Vaill.
Which possess characters sufficiently well marked to claim a
separation from the others. ‘heir short, square tail, and their
crest composed of long and narrow feathers, assimilate them to the
Cockatoos. Their cheeks are naked, as in the Ara, but their enor-
mous upper mandible, and the very short lower one, which cannot
be made to close, their cylindrical tongue, terminated by a small
horny knob, split at the apex, and susceptible of being greatly pro-
truded from the beak, their legs, naked a little above the heel, and
finally, their short and flat tarsi on which they often rest in walking,
distinguish them from all other Parrots. But two species are
known, both natives of the East Indies.(1) A subgenus might also
perhaps be made of the
Przororus, Illig.—Prrrucues Incamsgs, Vaill.
Which have a weaker beak, more elevated tarsi, and straighter
nails than the other parrots. They walk about on the ground, and
seek their food among the grass.(2)
There are two African birds, closely allied to each’ other,
and generally placed among the Scansori#, which appear to
me to have some analogy with the Gallinacexe, and especially
with the Hoccos.
They have the tail and wings of the Hoccos, and like them
perch on trees; the beak is short, and the upper mandible
gibbous; there is a short membrane between the fore-toes,
but the external one, it is true, is often directed backwards
Vaill. 66;—Ps. fringillaceus, Vaill. 71, or porphyrocephalus, Sh. Misc., 1;—Ps.
phigy, Vaill. 64;—Ps. xanthopterigius, Spix, XXXIV, 12;—Ps. gregarius, Spix,
XXXIV, 3, 4.
(1) Pstttacus aterrimus, Gm., or Ps. gigas, Lath. Edw. 316;—Ps. goliath, Kuhl,
or [Ara noir a trompe, Vaill. per. 1, pl. xii and xiii;—L’4ra gris a trompe, Id. Ib.
pl. ii, is perhaps a variety of the same. The name of trompe is not exactly cor-
rect. The tongue is not hollow, and in fact all that can be properly styled tongue
is the little horny piece which invests the extremity of the cylinder. See Geoff.
Saint-Hill. Ap. VJ, Gal. 4.
From this subdivision M. Vieillot has made his genus Microexossus, Galer.
pit.
(2) Ps. formosus, Vaill., I, 32; Sh. Mise., 228;—Ps. Nove-Zelandizx, Lath.,
Mus. Carls., 28;—Ps. cornutus, Lath., Syn. Supp. II, pl. viii.
Spe
i
SCANSORIZ. : 343
like that of the Ulule. Their nostrils, also, are simply pierced
in the horn of the beak, the edges of the mandibles are
dentated, and the sternum (at least that of the Touraco) hasnot
those large emarginations, so common in the Gallinacee.
There are two genera of these birds : the first is,
CoryTHArx, Illig.(1)
Or the Touracos, in which the beak does not mount on the fore-
head, and the head is furnished with an erectile tuft. The most
common species,
Cuculus persa, L.; Enl. 601; Vaill., Prom., &c., 16 and 17, is
found in the vicinity of the cape of Good Hope. It is a beauti-
ful green, with part of the quills of the wings crimson. It
builds in hollow trees, and feeds on fruit.(2) The second is the
Mosopnaca, Isert.
Or the Plantain-eaters, so called, because their principal food is the
fruit of the banana. They are characterised by the base of the beak
forming a disk, which partly covers the forehead. The species
known is
M. violacea, Vieill. Galer. 47; Touraco violet, Vaill., Pro-
mer., &c., pl. 18. Circumference of the eyes naked and red;
violet-coloured plumage; occiput and primary quills of the
wings, crimson; a white line passes below the naked space round
theeye. Inhabits Guinea and Senegal.
ORDER IV.
GALLINACEA.—Gatuiwa, Lin.
These birds areso called from their affinity with the Domestic
Cock, and like it, generally have the upper mandible arched, the
(1) Vieillot has changed this name into Opmraus:.
(2) Add the Touraco-géant, Vaill., Prom. and Guép., pl. 19;—the Touraco Pau-
line, Temm., Col. 23, or Opxthus erythrolophus, Vieill. Galer. 49;—the Touraco
brun (Phasianus africanus, Lath.) Vaill., 20, or Musophage varié, Vieill. Galer. 48.
Std | AVES.
ea pierced in a ‘get membranous space at the base of the
beak and covered by a cartilaginous scale; a heavy carriage,
short wings, and the bony sternum diminished by two emargina-
tions, so. wide and deep that they occupy nearly the whole
sides, its crest being truncated obliquely forwards, so that the
sharp point of the fourchette is only joined to it by a liga-
ment, circumstances which, by greatly impairing the strength
of the pectoral muscles, render it difficult for them to fly.
Their tail generally consists of fourteen quills, and sometimes
of eighteen. The lower larynx is very simple, and conse-
quently there is none of them that sings agreeably. They
have an extremely large crop, and a very vigorous gizzard.
With the exception of the Hocco, they all lay their eggs on
the ground, on a few carelessly arranged blades of straw or
grass. Each male usually has several females, and takes no sort
of trouble either with the nest or the young ones, which com-
monly are very numerous, and most usually able to run as
soon as they have left the shell.
This order is chiefly composed of one very natural family,
remarkable for having furnished us with most of our domestic
poultry, and abundance of excellent game; one in which the.
anterior toes are united at base by a short membrane, and in-
dented along the edges, and which it is impossible to divide
into genera, except by having recourse to characters of but
little importance, drawn from some of the appendages of the
head. In order, however, to avoid an excessive multiplica-
tion of beings, we will associate certain genera with them
whose feet are deficient in that membrane, some of which, the
Pigeons, connect the Galliacee with the Passerine, while |
the others, the Hoazins, Buff., somewhat approximate to the
‘Touracos.
Avecror, Merr.(1)
The Hoccos are large Gallinacez of America, which resemble
Turkeys, with a broad, rounded tail, formed of large and stiff quills.
¥
(1) Alector is the Greek name of the Cock.
agF $F Ss ee ae et ee oe ecg BR. Po Pa
a
GALLINACE. 345
There is a singular conformation in the trachea of several of them.
They live in the woods, feed on buds and fruit, perch and build on
trees, are very social and easily domesticated. Gmelin and Latham
have divided them into Hoccos and Yacous, but upon very undeter-
minate characters. We subdivide them in the following manner.
Tue Hoccos, properly so called, Buff.—Mrrovs, of Brazil, &c.—
Crax, Lin.
Have a strong beak, its base surrounded with a skin, which is
sometimes highly coloured, in which the nostrils are pierced; on
the head is a tuft of long, narrow, erect feathers, curled at the
tips. They are the size of Turkeys, and like them fly up into trees.
They are bred by the Americans; and individuals are sometimes sent
to Europe, so variously coloured, that we are at a loss how to cha-
racterize their species. The most common, or
Crazx alector, L.; Mitou-Poranga, Marcgr.; Buff. Ois., I, pl.
xiii; Vieill. Galer., 199. Black; the lower part of the belly
white; cera of the beak, yellow. The trachea makes but one
slight curve before it enters the thorax. Some of these birds,
such as
Crax globicera, L., Enl. 86; Edw., 295, 1, have a larger or
smaller globular tubercle on the base of the beak. Among both
of these species individuals are to be found in which the body is
irregularly striped with white or fawn colour. Albin‘, II, 32.(1)
The whole upper part is sometimes fawn'coloured.(2) Those of
_ Peru,
Craz rubra, L., Enl. 125, are all ofa vivid chesnut colour above,
the head and neck being variegated with black and white.(3)
Ourax, Cuv.
The Pauxi(4) have a shorter and thicker beak, the membrane of its
base, as well as the greater part of their head being covered with
a short and dense plumage resembling velvet. The most common
species,
Crax pauxi, L.; Pierre, &c.; Enl. 78; Vieill. Galer. 200 (The
Stone Bird), has an oval tubercle on the base of its beak, of a
(1) This appears to be the true Mexican Hoazin of Hernandez.
(2) Such is the female described by Azzara, Voy. IV, p. 169. From the ac-
counts of other travellers, it appears that the females, also, are fawn coloured.
(3) See also Craw fasciolata, Spix, LXU, a;—C. Blumenbachii, id, LXIV. Add,
Crax globulosa, 1d. LXV and LXVI;—C. rubirostris, 1d.. LX VIL.
(4) Patxiis the name by which Hernandez designates them. Ouraa, the Athe.
nian name for the Heath-Cock.
Norwida—2 -T
346 AVES.
light blue colour and a stony hardness, almost as large as its
head. Itis black; the lower part of the belly and the tip of the
tail, white. It lays its eggs on the ground. Its original habitat
is not exactly known. The trachea descends externally along
the right side to behind the sternum, where it inclines to the
left, and ascends to enter the thorax, through the fourchette. All
its rings are compressed.
There is another species, which, instead of the tubercle on
the beak, has a red salient crest. The belly and tip of the tail
are chesnut colour. It is the true Mittu of Marcgrave; Ourax
mittu, Tem. Col. 153; Crax galeata, Lath.; Crax tomentosa, Spix,
Ixiii.(1)
PENELOPE, Merr.
The Guans or Yacous(2) have a slenderer beak than the Hoccos;
the circumference of the eyes is naked, as well as the under part of
the throat, which is generally susceptible of being inflated.
Several varieties of colour are found also among these birds,
between which it is very difficult to establish specific limits.
Those which have a tuft are sometimes of various shades of
brown or bronze—Penelope jacupema, Mer. II, xi; sometimes
spotted on the breast—VPenelope cristata, L., Edw. 133(3) some-
times black, with the same spots, and more or less.white on
the tuft and coverts of the wings—Penelope leucolophos, Merr.
II, xii, or Pen. cumanensis, Gm.; Jacq. Beytr. pl. 103; Bajon,
Cay., pl. 5, or Pen. jaculinga, Spix, pl. Ixx. Some of them are
intermediate between these two extremes,—Pen. pipile, Jacq.
Beytr. pl. xi.
The trachea, at least in the first, descends under the skin far
behind the posterior edge of the sternum, ascends, is again
flexed, and then continues its course towards the fourchette,
through which, as usual, it gains access to the lungs. ) Am. bd.
(1) M. Swains. calls Prrzixorvs those species which have feathered tarsi, such
as the C. purpurata, T. Col. 34, &e. 5
(2) Col. migratoria, Enl. 176; Frisch, 142; Tem. 48.and 49;—Col. carolinensis,
Ib. 175; Tem. 50; Catesb. 24; Edw. 15;—Ool. Reinwartii, Tem. Col. 248;—C.
humeralis, Ib. 191;—C. amboinensis, Ib., 100;—C. lophotes, Ib. 142;—C. venusta,
Ib. 341, 1, or Col. strepitans, Spix, xxv, 1;—Col. dominicensis, Ib. 487; Tem. 51;
—Col. capensis, Ib. 140, &c.; Vaill. 273, 274; Tem. 53, 54;—C. eo Tem,
52;—Col. macquaria, Quoy and Gaym., Voy. de Freyc., 31.
(3) Vinago, the Latin name of the C. 2nas—Vieill. has changed it into Trrnon.
(4) Col. abyssinica, or Wallia of Bruce, Vaill. 276, 277; Tem. 8 and 9;—Col.
australis, Enl. 3, Tem. 3;—Col. aromatica, Enl. 163; Tem. 57; Brown, Zool. Ml.
20;—Ool. vernans, Enl. 158; Tem. 10 and 11;—Col. militaris, Tem. 1 and 2;—C.
psittacea, Tem. 4;—C. calva, Tem. 7;—C. olax, T. Col. 241;—€. Capellei, tb. 143,
(5) Col. oxyura, T. Col. 240.
GRALLATORIZ. 363
ORDER V.
GRALLATORIZ.—Gratza, Lin.
The birds of this order derive their name from their habits,
and from the conformation which causes them. They are
known by the nudity of the lower part of their legs, and most
generally by the height of their tarsi; two circumstances which
enable them to enter the water to a certain depth without
wetting their feathers; to wade through it and seize fish by
means of their neck and bill, the length of which is usually
proportioned to that of the legs. Those which are furnished
with a strong bill, feed on fish and reptiles ; while such as have
a weak one, consume worms and insects. A very few feed par-
tially on grain, and they alone live at a distance from rivers, &c.
The external toe is most commonly united at its base with that
of the middle one, by means of a short membrane $ sometimes
there are two similar membranes, and at others they are en-
tirely wanting, and the toes are completely separated; it
sometimes also happens, though rarely, that they are border-
ed all along,. or palmated to the very end; in fine, the thumb
is deficient in several genera; circumstances, all of which have
an influence on their mode of life, which is more or less
aquatic. Almost all these birds, the Ostriches and Cassowaries
excepted, have long wings, and fly well; during which action
they extend their legs backwards, differing in this from all
others, which fold them under the belly.
In this order we establish five principal families, and some
insulated genera.
FAMILY Lc -
BREVIPENNES:
These birds, although similar in general to the other Gral-
latoriz, differ from them greatly in one point—the shortness
of the wings, which renders’ flight impossible. ‘The beak
364 AVES.
and regimen give them numerous aflinities with the Galli-
nacez. ae
It appears as if all the muscular power which is at the com-
mand of nature, would be insufficient to move such immense
wings as would be required to support their massive bodies in
the air. The sternum is a simple buckler, and is deficient in
that ridge which is found in all other birds. The pectoral
muscles are thin and delicate, but the posterior extremities
regain what the wings have lost—the muscles of the thighs,
and of the legs in particular, being enormously thick and stout.
The thumb is always deficient.(1) They form two genera.
STRUTHIO, Lin.
The Ostriches have wings furnished with loose and flexible feathers,
but still sufficiently long to increase their speed inrunning. Every
one knows the elegance of these slender-stemmed plumes, the barbs
of which, although furnished with little hooks, always remain sepa-
rate, contrary to what takes place in most other birds. Their beak
is horizontally depressed, of a moderate length, and blunt at the end;
their tongue short, and rounded like a crescent; their eye large, and
the lid fringed with lashes; their legs and tarsi very long. They have
an enormous crop, a large sac between the crop and gizzard, volu-
minous intestines, long ceca, and a vast reservoir in which the urine
accumulates as in a bladder, being the only birds which can be said
to urine. The penis is very large, and is frequently exposed. (2)
But two species are known, each of which might form a separate
genus. ,
Struthio camelus, L.; Enl. 457.(3) (The Ostrich of the East-
ern Continent.) But two toes, the external of which is one half
shorter than its fellow, and has no nail. This bird, so highly
celebrated from the earliest ages, abounds in the sandy deserts
of Arabiaand Africa. It attains the height of six or eight feet,
lives in great troops, lays eggs, each weighing nearly three
(1) The number of the phalanges is as follows, commencing with the inter-
nal toe :
Ostrich, 4, 5:
Nandou and Cassoway, 3, 4, 5:
Which amounts to the numbers common, among birds.
' (2) For the genito-urinary organs of birds, and those of the Ostrich in particu-
lar, consult the Mém. of Geoffroy Saint- Hillair e, Mém. du Mus., tom. XV.
(3) See also the beautiful figure’ drawn ‘by Maréchal in the Menag. du Mus.
of Lacep. and Cuvier, copied Vieill. Galer. pl. 223.
aa, eee eee ee RS tae SB
ae a
Sead
GRALLATORIA. 365
pounds, which, in very hot climates, it is contented with expos-
ing in the sand to the warmth of the sun, but over which, out
of the tropics, it broods with great care, defending them cou-
rageously every where. ‘The Ostrich feeds on grass, grain, &c.,
and so obtuse is its sense of taste that it swallows pebbles, pieces
of iron, copper, &c. When pursued it dashes stones behind
it with great violence. No animal can overtake it in the race.
Struth. rhea, 1.;(1) Nandou, Churi, &c., Hammer. An. Mus.
XII, xxxix; Vieill. Galer. 224. (The American Ostrich.) “Is -
about one half smaller, with more thinly furnished feathers, of
a uniform grey colour, and particularly distinguished by its
three toes, all having nails. Its plumage is greyish, browner
on the back: a black line along the back of the neck in the male.
It is as common in the southern parts of South America, as the
preceding one is in Africa. When taken young, it is easily
tamed. . Several females, it is said, lay in the same nest, or
rather the same hole, yellowish eggs, which are hatched by the
male. It is only eaten when very young.
Casuarius, Briss.
The Cassowaries have wings still shorter than those of the Ostrich,
and totally useless, even in running. There are three toes to all the
feet, each furnished with a nail; the barbs of their feathers are so
poorly provided with barbulz, that at a distance they resemble pen-
dent hairs. Two species are known, each of which might also con-
stitute a genus.
Struthio casuarius, L.; Emeu,(2) Enl. 313, and better Frisch,
105.(3) (The Cassowary.) The beak laterally compressed;
head surmounted by a bony prominence, covered with a horny
substance; skin of the head and top of the neck naked, of an
azure-blue and a fiery red colour, with pendent caruncles like
those of the Turkey; some stiff stems in the wings, without barbs,
which the bird uses as weapons.in combat; nail of the internal
toe much the strongest. It is the largest of all birds, next to
the Ostrich, and differs considerably from it in its anatomy, for
(1) Brisson and Buffon, following Barrére, have improperly applied to it the
name of Towyou, or rather of Z'owiowiow, which belongs to the Jabiru. It is the
genus Rhea of Brisson. The Portuguese of Brazil haye transferred to it the name
of Emeu, which properly belongs to the Cassowary.
(2) Casswwaris, the Malay name of this bird. Eme, or Emeu, its peculiar appel-
Jation in Banda.
(3) There is also an excellent figure of it by Maréchal in the Menag. du Mus.
copied Vieill. Galer. pl. 225.
366 » AVES.
its intestines are short, and the czca small; the intermediate
stomach between the crop and gizzard is wanting, and its cloaca
is not larger in proportion than that of other birds. It feeds
on fruit and eggs, but not grain. The female lays a small
number of green eggs, which like the Ostrich she abandons to
the solar heat. Found in different islands ofa the Archipelago
of India.
Cas. Novze-Hollandiz, Lath.; Voy. de Paton: Atl. part 1, pl. i
* xxxvi; Vieill. Galer. pl. 226.(1) (The Cassowary of New Hol-
land.) A depressed beak; no helmet on the head; a little naked
skin about the ear; plumage brown and more of it; more barbs
to the feathers; no caruncles, or spurs on the wing; nails of
the toes about equal. Its flesh resembles beef. Its speed is
greater than that of the swiftest greyhound. The young ones
are striped with brown and black.(2)
FAMILY I.
PRESSIROSTRES.
This family comprises genera with long legs, without a
thumb, or in which the thumb is too short to reach the ground.
The bill is moderate; but strong enough to penetrate the earth
in search of worms; hence we find those species in which it is
weakest frequenting meadows and newly ploughed grounds to
obtain that sort of food with more facility. Such as have
stronger beaks, also feed on herbs, grain, &c.
(1) This constitutes the genus Emov, or Dromatvs of Vieillot.
(2) N.B. I cannot allow room in this work for species so little known, and even
so poorly authenticated, as those which form the genus Dinus of Linnzus,
The first, or the Didus ineptus, is only known from a description drawn up by
the first Dutch navigators, and given by Clusius, Exot., p. 99, and from an oil
painting of the same period, copied by Edwards, pl. 294; for the description of
Herbert is puerile, and all others are copied from Clusius and Edwards. It seems
that the species has completely disappeared, nothing remaining of it at the present
day but a foot preserved in the British Museum (Shaw, Nat. Misc. pl. 143), and a
head in very bad condition possessed by the Asmolean Museum of Oxford (Id. Ib.
pl. 166.) The beak bears some resemblance to that of the Penguins, and the foot,
if it were palmated would be like that of the Aptenodytes.
The second species, Didus solitarius, rests on the bare testimony of Leguat,
Voy. I, p. 98, a man who has disfigured well known animals, such as the Hippo-
potamus and the Lamantin.
The third, Didus nazaremus, is only known from the account of Frangois
GRALLATORIA. 367
Oris, Lin.
The Bustards, in addition to the massive carriage of the Gallina-
cex, have a long neck and legs, and moderate beak; its superior
mandible being slightly arcuated and arched, which, as well as the
very small membranes between the base of the toes, again recal the
idea of the Gallinacee. But the nakedness of the lower part of their
legs, their whole anatomy, and even the flavour of their flesh, place
them among the Grallatoriz, and as they have no thumb, the smaller
species approximate closely to the Plovers. Their tarsi are reticu-
lated, and their wings short; they fly but seldom, hardly ever using
their wings, except to assist themselves in running. They feed in-
differently on grain and herbs, worms and insects. |
O. tarda, L., Enl. 245. (The Great Bustard.) Back, of a
bright fawn colour, crossed with numerous black streaks, the
remainder greyish. The feathers of the ears of the male, which
is the largest bird in Europe, are lengthened out on both sides,
forming a kind of large mustachios. This species, which
is considered as being among the best game of that country,
frequents its extensive plains, building on the ground among
the grain.
O. tetrax, L.; Enl. 25 and 10. (The Little Bustard.) More
than a half smaller, and much less common than the tarda;
brown above, sprinkled with blacks whitish beneath; neck of
the male black, with two white collars.
The beak of most species foreign to Europe is more slender
than that of those which belong to it. » Among the former we
may remark,
O. houbara, Gm.; Le Houbdara, Desfontaines, Acad. des Sc.,
1787, pl. xs Vieill. Galer., pl.’ coxxvii. (The Houbara.) So
called on account of the ruff of elongated feathers which orna-
ments both sides of its neck.’ From Africa and Arabia.(1)
Cauche, who. considers it to. be the same as the ineptus, giving it however but
three toes, while all the others allow the former to possess four. No one has been
able to obtain a sight of any of these birds since the time of the above named tra-
vellers.
Of all birds, that which has its wings the most completely reduced to a simple
vestige, is the Jplerya, represented by Shaw, Nat. Misc. 1055 and 1057. Its ge-
neral figure is that of an Aptenodytes, its size that of a Goose. The feet would be
those of the former, were they not described as wanting the web. The beak is
very long, slender, marked with a longitudinal groove on each side, and having a
membrane at base. The wing is reduced to a little stump, terminated by a hook.
From New Holland.
(1) I leave among the Bustards all Latham’s species, such as the Afra, Lath.
es
ae
368 AVES.
Cnuaraprius, Lin.(1)
The Plovers have no thumb; the beak is moderate, compressed, and
enlarged at the point.
They may be divided into two subgenera; viz.
(Epicnemus, Tem.(2)
In which the end of the beak is inflated above as well as beneath,
and the fosse of the nostrils only extend half its length. They are
larger species which prefer dry and stony places, and feed on snails,
insects, &c. They have some affinity with the smaller species of
Bustards. Their feet are reticulated, and there is a short membrane
between each of their three toes.
Cidic. crepitans, Tem.; Charadrius wedicnemus, L.; Courlis ide
terre; Enl. 919; Frisch, 215; Naum. Ed. I, 9, f. 13. (The Thick-
knee.) Size of a Woodcock; a fawn coloured grey, with a brown
streak on the middle of each feather; white belly; a brown
streak under the eye.(3)
Cuaraprius, Cuv.
The beak of the True Plovers is only inflated above, and has two-
thirds of its length occupied by the nasal fossx, which render it
weaker. They live in large flocks, and frequent low grounds, where
they strike the earth with their feet, in order to set in motion the
worms on which they feed.
The species of France are only found there, in transitu, during
the autumn and in the spring: near the sea coast, some of them
remain until the beginning of winter. Their flesh is excellent,
and with various other species, they form a tribe with reticulated
legs, the most remarkable of which are:
Char. pluvialis, L., Eni. 904; Frisch, 2163 Naum. I, c. 10, f.
Syn. Il, pl. lxxix;—the benghalensis, Edw. 250;—the Arabs, 1d, 12;—but I with-
draw the G@dienemus, which, on account of its compressed beak, enlarged at the
end, begins the following genus.—Add, Otis nuba, Rupp. pl. 1; ;—Ot. denhami;—
Ot. torquata, Cuv., a new species from the Cape.
(1) Char adrius, the Greek name of a nocturnal aquatic bird, comes from wage
dea. Gaza translates it by Hiaticula.
(2) Wdicnemus (swelled leg), a name invented by Belon for the Thick-knee.
(3) Add the Gdienéme tachard (Cid. maculosus, Cuv.) Col. 2925 -—the (d. 2
Jongs pieds (Cid. longipes, Geoff.,) Vieill. Gal. 228, or (Ed. echasse, Tem. Col.
386;—the (ud. 4 gros bee (Ed. magnirostris, Geof. ), Col. 387, might, from the form
of its beak, be placed at the head of a particular series to which would belong a
closely allied species with a slightly recurved upper mandible: Ed. recurvirostris,
Cuv.:—Char. crassirostris, Spix, 94.
GRALLATORIA. 369
14; Wils. VII, lix, 5. (The Golden Plover.) Blackish; the edges
of its feathers dotted with yellow; white belly. It is the most
common of all, and is found throughout the whole globe. The
north produces one which scarcely differs from it except in its
black throat; it is the Char. apricarius, Edw. 1403; Naum. II, f.
15; Wils. VII, lvii, 4. Some authors assert it is the young of
the other.
Char. morinellus, L.3; Le Guignard, Enl. 832; Naum. 12, f.
16, 17. (The Dotterel.) Grey or blackish; feathers edged with
fulvous-grey; a white streak over the eye; breast and upper part
of the belly of a bright red; lower part of the belly white.
Char. hiaticula, L.3; Pluvier 2 collier, Enl. 920; Frisch, 2145
Brit. Zool. pl. P; Wils. V, xxxvii, 2. (The Ring Plover.)
Grey above; white beneath; a black collar round the lower part
of the neck, very broad in fronts the head variegated with black
and whites; bill, yellow and black. Three or four species or
races are found in France differing in size, and in the distribu-
tion of the colours on the head.(1) This same distribution, with
but little variation, is found in several species foreign to Eu-
rope. (2)
Many Plovers have scutellated legs; they form a small division,
most of its species having spines to their wings, or fleshy wattles
on the head; some of them have both these characters.(3)
VaANELLUS, Bechst.—Trinea, Lin.(4)
The Lapwings have the same kind of beak as the Plovers, and are
(1) Ch. minor, Meyer, Enl. 921; Wils. VII, lix, 3; Naum, 15, f. 19, or Ch. cu-
ronicus, Lath., with an entirely black beak;—Ch. cantianus, Lath., or aldifrons,
Meyer, of which the Ch. zgyptius may possibly be the female. Its collar is inter-
rupted.
(2) Char. vociferus, Enl. 286; Wils. VII, lix, 6;—Char. indicus, Lath.;—Char.
Azarai, T., Col. 184;—Char. melanops, Vieill., Gal. 235, or Ch. nigrifrons, Cuv.
Col. 47, 1;—Char. Wilsonit, Wils. IX, Ixiii, 5.—Add, of closely allied species,
although without collars: Ch. pecuarius, T, Col. 183;—Ch. nivifrons, Cuv.;—Char.
ruficapillus, T. Col. 47, 2;—Ch. monachus, Tem. ;—Ch. griseus, Lath.
Add Ch. semipalmatus, Wils. VIII, pl. lix, f. 3;—Ch. melodus, Wils. V, pl.
xxvii, f. 3. Am. Ed.
_ (3) Species with unarmed, scutellated feet: Char. coronatus, Enl. 800;—Ch, me-
lanocephalus, Enl. 918, Savigny, Egypt., Ois., pl. vi, f. 4, of which Vieillot makes
his genus Puvyranus, Gal. pl. xxiii—its beak is somewhat stouter than the others.
Armed species: Char. spinosus, Enl. 801;—Ch. cayanus, Enl. 833. Species with
wattles: Char. pileatus, Enl. 834;—Ch. bilobus, Enl. 880.
The Char. cristatus, Edw. 47, appears to be the same as the spinosus.
(4) Tringa, or rather Trynga, the Greek name of a bird the size of a Thrush,
which frequents the shores of rivers, and is constantly moying its tail, Arist. It
Vou. I.—2 W
3709 AVES.
only distinguished from them by the presence of a thumb; but it is
so small that it cannot reach the ground.
In the first tribe, that of the Lapwine-PLovers, (SquaTARoLa, Cuv. )}
it is even scarcely visible. It is distinguished by the bill, which is
inflated underneath, and its nasal fossa being short like that of an
Cidicnemus. The feet are reticulated: all those of France have the
tail striped with white and black, forming, as is asserted, but one
species whose great diversity of plumage has occasioned its multi-
plication. It is always found with the Plovers.
Tringa squatarola; Le Vanneau gris, Enl. 854. (The Grey
Lapwing.) Greyish above, whitish with greyish spots beneath,
is the young bird before it has moulted. The Variegated Lap-
wing, (Tringa varia,) Enl. 923, white, spotted with greyish;
blackish mantle dotted with white, comprises the two sexes in
_their winter plumage. The Vanneau suisse, (Tringa helvetica,
Enl. 853, Naum. Ed. I, 62, f. 117,) black and white spots above,
black beneath from the throat to the thighs, is the male in his
wedding livery.
VANELLUS, Cuv.
The true Lapwings have a rather more decidedly marked thumb,
the tarsi scutellated, at least partially so, and the nasal fossz extend-
ing two-thirds the length of the beak. They are equally as industrious
in the pursuit of worms as the Plovers, procuring them in the same
manner.
The European species, 7ringa vanellus, L., is a pretty bird,
as large as a Pigeon, of a bronze-black, with a long and slender
crest. It arrives in France in the spring, lives in the fields and
meadows, builds there, and departs in autumn. The eggs are
considered a great delicacy.(1)
Warm climates also have some species of this bird, whose
wings are armed with one or two spurs, and others which have
caruncles or wattles at the base of the beak: their tarsi are scu-
tellated. ‘They are very noisy animals, screaming out at every
sound they hear. They live inthe fields, and defend themselves
against birds of prey with much courage.(2)
was Linnzus who applied it thus; but he placed many other birds in his genus
Tringa, besides the Lapwings, the Sandpipers, (Calibris, Cuy.,) especially.
(1) Add the Vanneau @ écharpe (Vann. cinctus), Less. and Garn. Voy. Duperr.
pl. xliii;—Le V. @ pieds jawnes ( Vann. flavipes), Savigny, Egypte, Ois., pl. 6, f. 3.
(2) They are the first nine species of Parra, Gmel., particularly Parra cayen-
nensis, Enl. 836;—P. goensis, Enl. 807;—P. senegalla, Enl. 362, or better Vanellus
albicapillus, Vieill., Gal. 236;—P. ludoviciana, Enl. 835, from which: Vann. galli-
naceus, Tem., does not perhaps specifically differ, &c.; their habits, legs, beak,
GRALLATORLAE. O81
.
. Hamatoprus, Lin.
The Oyster-catchers have a somewhat longer beak than the Plovers
or the Lapwings; it is straight, pointed, compressed into a wedge,
and sufficiently strong to enable them to force open the bivalve shells
of the animals on which they feed. They also seek for worms in
the earth. The nasal fosse, which are very deep, are only half the
feneth of the beak, the nostrils resembling a small slit in the
middle. Their legs are of a moderate length, their tarsi reticulated,
and their feet divided into three toes.
Hematop. ostralegus, L.; Enl. 9293; Brit. Zool., pl. D; Catesb.
I, 85, is the European species, also called Pie de mer on account
of its plumage, which is black; the belly, throat, base of the
wings and tail being of a fine white. The white on the throat
disappears insummer. It is about the size of a Duck; bill and
feet, red.
There is a species in Brazil with a longer bill, and no white
under the throat, the Hxm. palliatus, Tem., which Wils. VIII,
Ixiv, 2, confounds with the common one; another in the Ma-
louines, where the black extends farther down on the breast, the
Heem. luctuosus, Cuv., and a third in the antarctic hemisphere,
which is entirely black, the (Hem. niger, Cuvy.,) Hem. ater,
Vieill. Gal. 230; Quoy and Gaymard, Voy. de Freycinet, pl.
XXXiv.
It is impossible to avoid placing near the Plovers and Oyster-
catchers, the
Cursorius, Lac.—Tacuypromus, Illig. j
Whose beak, more slender, but equally conical, is arcuated, has
no groove, and is moderately cleft; the wings are shorter, and their
legs, which are longer, are terminated by three toes without mem-
branes, and without a thumb.
There has been seen both in France and England, although
very rarely, a species, belonging to the north of Africa, of a
light fawn-colour, with a whitish belly, the Charadrius gallicus,
Gm.; Cursorius isabellinus, Meyer, Enl. 795; and another has
been brought from India of a brownish-grey, with a red breast,
the Ch. coromandelicus, Curs. asiaticus, Lath., Vieill. Gal. 232,
Se a aa a a Sa ar i ee
form, and eyen the distribution of their colours, resemble those of the Lapwings
and Ployers, and there can be no possible reason for placing them among the =
canas, whose characters differ on almost every point.
Add 7'r. macroptera, anew species from Java; grey; head and belly black; armed,
and with caruncles; the wings extending considerably beyond the tail.
°
B12 AVES.
“Enl. 992. Each of them has a black streak and a white one be-
hind the eye. Their name is derived from the swiftness with
which they run. Nothing is known with respect to their
habits.(1)
As far as we can judge from their exterior, it is here that we can
most conveniently place the
Carrama, Briss. —Micropactyius, Geoff.—DicHoLopuvus,
Ilhig.(2)
Whose beak is longer and more hooked, the commissure extend-
ing under the eye, which gives them somewhat of the physiognomy
and disposition of birds of prey, and approximates them somewhat
to the Herons. Their extremely long and scutellated legs are ter-
minated by very short toes, slightly palmated at base, and by a
thumb which cannot reach the ground.
One species only is known, and that is from South America,
the Micro. cristatus, Geoff.; Palamedea cristata, Gm.; Saria,
Azzar.; Ann. du Mus. d’Hist. Nat., XIII, pl. xxvi; Col. 237, and
Vieill. Gal. 259. Itis larger than the Heron, and feeds on lizards
and insects, which it hunts for on high grounds and along the
edges of forests. Its plumage is a fawn- coloured grey, waved
with brown; some slender feathers on the base of the beak form
alight tuft which inclines forwards. It flies but seldom, and then
badly; its loud voice resembles that of a young Thekey. As its
flesh is much esteemed, it has been domesticated in several
places.
FAMILY III.
CULTRIROSTRES.
This family is recognized by the thick, long, and strong
beak, which is most generally trenchant and pointed, and is
almost wholly composed of the birds comprised i in the genus
Arpea of Linnzus. In a great number of species, the trachea
’
(1) Add the Coure-vite a ailes violettes (Curs. Chalcopterus, T.), Col. 298;—the C.
ad double collier (C. bicinetus, T.), Man. Orn.;—Curs. Teminckii, Swains. Zool. 11.106.
(2) Microdactylus, short-finger. Dicholophus, crest in two rows. Hzematopus,
blood-coloured feet. M. Vicillot has preferred the barbarous name of Cariama,
which must be pronounced eariama. ’ :
§
GRALLATORIA. Sta
of the male forms various curves; their ceca are short, and
even the true Herons have but one.
We subdivide it into three tribes, the Cranes, the true
Herons, and the Swans. The first tribe forms but one great
genus.
Grus, Lin.
The Cranes have a straight beak, but slightly cleft; the membra-
nous fosse of the nostrils, which are large and concave, occupy
nearly one half of its length. Their legs are scutellated, and the
toes moderate; the external ones but slightly palmate, and the thumb
hardly reaching to the ground.
nostrils are continued by a groove, which runs parallel with the
ridge to its end, the latter being slightly hooked. Only one species
is known,
Scop. umbretia, Enl. 7963 Vieill. Galer. 250 (The Umbre),
which is the size of a Crow, and of an umber colour. The
occiput of the male is tufted. Found throughout Africa.
Hans, Lacep.—Anastomvs, Illig?
frie
These birds are only separable from the Storks by a charac er of
about equal consequence with that of the Jabiru. Their two “man-
dibles only come in contact at the base and point, leaving an inter-
val between the middle of their edges. Even this seems to be the
result of detrition, for the fibres of the horny substance of the beak,
which appear to have been worn away, are very visible.
They are from the East Indies. One is whitish, Ardea pon-
ticeriana, Gm., Enl. 932; and Vieill. Gal. 251, and the other a
brown-grey,—“@rdelia coromandeliana, Sonner. It., II, 219. The
quills of the wings and tail are black in both. Perhaps the
last one may be the young of the first. A third, of an irised-
black, Bec-ouvert a lames; tn. lamelliger, Tem. Col. 236, is re-
markable because the stem of each of its feathers terminates in
a narrow horny plate, which extends beyond the barbs. The
Dromas, Paykull,
Strongly resembles the preceding birds, having the same feet and
carriage, but its compressed beak, the under part of which is some-
what inflated at base, is perforated by oval nostrils, and its edges
join closely.
Dromas ardeola, Payk., Stockh. Mem., 1805; pl. 8; Col. 362.
The only species known. Its plumage is white; part of the
(1) Add, Mye. senegalensis, Lath., Vaill. Gal. 255, from which the Ciconia
ephippirhyncha, Rupp. Av. 3, only differs in being drawn from the recent specimen,
and showing two tufts or bobs at the base of the beak.
(2) Scopus, from Xxomes, sentinel.
GRALLATORIE. 381
mantle and wings black. From the shores of the Red Sea, and
of the Senegal river.(1)
Tantauus, Lin.
The Wood-Pelicans have the feet, nostrils and beak of the Stork;
but the back of the beak is rounded, its point curved downwards,
and slightly emarginated on each side: a part of their head and
sometimes of the neck, is destitute of feathers.
T. loculator, L.; Enl. 868; Wils. VII, Ixvi, 1. (The Wood-
Pelican of America.) Is the size of a Stork, but more slender;
white; quills of the wings and tail, black; beak and feet, as well
as the naked skin of the head and neck, blackish. It inhabits
both Americas, arriving in each country about the rainy season,
and frequenting muddy waters, where it chiefly hunts for eels.
It is a stupid bird, whose gait is very slow.
T. ibis, L. Enl. 339. (The Wood-Pelican of Africa.) White,
lightly shaded with purple on the wings; beak yellow; skin of
the face red and naked. This is the bird which has long been
considered by naturalists as the Jbis of the ancient Egyptians,
but recent researches have proved that the Ibis is a much smaller
bird, of which we shall speak hereafter. The Tantalus is not
even usually found in Egypt; the specimens we possess are
brought from Senegal.
T. leucocephalus; Tantale de Ceylan, Encyc. Method. Orn. pl.
66, fig. 1; Vieill. Gal. 247 (The Wood-Pelican of Ceylon), is
the largest of all, and has the stoutest beak. This beak and
the skin of the face are yellow; plumage white, with black
quills; a black cincture round the breast; long rose-coloured
feathers on the rump, which are shed during the rainy sea-
son.(2) 4
PLATALEA, Lin.(3)
The Spoonbills approximate to the Storks, in the whole of their
structure; but their bill, whence they derive their name, is long,
flat, broad throughout, becoming widened and flattened, particularly
at the end, so as to form a spatula-like disks; two shallow grooves,
originating at its base, extend almost to the end, but without being
ee
(1) Dupont, Ann. des Sc. Nat. tom. IX, pl. xlv. It is the Erodia amphilensis,
Salt., Voy. in Abyss., Atl. pl. xxxi.
(2) Add the 7. dacteus, T. Col. 352.
(3) Platalea, or Platea, Latin names, sometimes used as synonymous with Pelr-
canus.
382 AVES.
parallel to its edges. The nostrils are oval, and situated at a short
distance from the origin of each groove. Their small tongue, reti-
culated legs, the extent of the membranes of their feet, their two
very small czca, their but slightly muscular gizzard, and their lower
larynx destitute of peculiar muscles, are the same as in the Storks,
but the expansion of their bill deprives it of all its strength, and
renders it fit for nothing but turning up mud, or capturing small fish
or aquatic insects.
P. leucorodia, Gm.3 Enl. 405; Naum. Supp. 44, f. 87. (The
White Spoonbill.) All white, and a crest on the occiput; it is
found throughout the eastern continent, where it builds on high
trees. The “ Spatule blanche sans huppe,”’ Buff. Hist. des Ois.
tom. VII, pl. 24, according to Bail, is but the young of this
species. Besides the absence of the crest, it is distinguished by
the quills of the wings having a black edge.
P. aiaias La Spatule rose; Enl. 1653 Vieill. Gal. 248. (The
Roseate Spoonbill.) The face is naked, and the plumage tinged
with various shades of a bright rose-colour which becomes more
intense with age. It is peculiar to South America.
FAMILY IV.
LONGIROSTRES.
This family is composed of a multitude of Waders, most of
which were included in the genus Scolopax of Linneus, and
the remainder confounded in that of Tringa, L., though partly
in opposition to the character of this genus, which consists in
a thumb too short to reach the ground. A small number were
placed among the Plovers on account of the total absence of a
thumb. All these birds have nearly the same form, similar
habits and very frequently even a similarity in the distribu-
tion of their colours, which renders it a difficult matter to dis-
tinguish one from another. Their general character is a long,
slender, and feeble bill, the use of which is restricted to search-
ing in the mud for worms and insects; the different gradations
in the form of this bill serve to divide them into genera
and subgenera.
According to his own principles, Linneus should have
united most of these birds in the great genus
GRALLATORIA. 383
Scotopax, Lin.
Which we divide as follows, according to the variation in the
form of the bill.(1) The
Isis, Cuv.
Separated by us from the Zantaius of Gmelin, because the bill,
though arcuated like that of Tantalus, is much more feeble, and
has no emargination near its point; the nostrils also, perforated near
the back of its base, are severally prolonged in a groove which ex-
tends to the end. Besides, this bill is tolerably thick and almost
square at base, and some part of the head or even of the neck is
always destitute of feathers. The external toes are considerably
palmated at base, and the thumb is sufficiently large to bear upon
the ground. ‘
Some of them have short and reticulated legs; they are usually
the stoutest, and have the largest beak.
Ibis religiosa, Cuy.; 4bou-Hannes, Bruce, It., pl. 353 Tantalus
ethiopicus, Lath.;.the adult, Cuv., Oss. Foss. tom. I, and the
young, Savign. Descript. de Egypte, Hist. Nat. des Ois., pl.
7 (The Sacred Ibis), is the most celebrated species. It was
reared in the temples of ancient Egypt, with a degree of respect
bordering on adoration; and, when dead, it was embalmed.
This, according to some, arose from its devouring serpents,
which otherwise might have infested the country; others again
are of opinion that it took its origin from some relation between
its plumage and one of the phases of the moon; while a third class
of authors attribute it to the fact that its appearance announced
ed the overflow of the Nile.(2) The Tantalus of Africa was
for a long time considered as the Ibis of the Egyptians; it is now
known to be a bird of the present genus, as large as a Hen, with
white plumage, the tips of the wing-quills excepted, which are
blacks; the barbs of the last coverts are slender, and of a black
colour, with violet reflections, and cover the tips of the wings
and the tail. The bill and feet, as well as the naked part of the
head and neck, are black: this part, at an early age, is covered
with small blackish feathers, or, at all events, its upper surface
is thus furnished. Found throughout Africa.(3)
(1) This is another of these distinctions and names borrowed by Vieill. (Gal.
246) without any acknowledgement, although my memoir upon the Ibis,in which I
establish it, is dated fifteen years prior to any of his writings upon birds.
(2) Savigny, Mem. sur I’Ibis.
(3) There is a neighbouring species in the Moluccas which has a longer beak,
384 AVES.
Others have scutellated legs; their beak, most commonly, is more
slender.
Ib. rubra; Scol. rubra, L.3 Tantal. ruber, Gm.; Enl. 80 and 815
Wils, VIII, Ixvi, 2. (The Red Ibis.) A bird found im all the
hot parts of America, remarkable for its bright red colour; the
tips of the wing-quills are black. The young ones, at first co-
vered with a blackish down, become cinereous, and, when ready
to fly, whitish; in two years the red makes its appearance, and
continues to increase in lustre with age. This species does not
migrate, and lives in flocks in marshy spots in the vicinity of
estuaries. . It is easily domesticated.
Scol. falcinellus, L.3 Courlis vert, Enl. 819; Naum. Ed. I, Supp.
28, Savig. Eg. Ois. pl. vii, f. 9. (The Green Ibis.) A purple
brown-red; mantle of a deep green; the head and neck of the
young marked with whitish dots. It is a beautiful bird of south-
ern Europe, and of northern Africa, and most probably the spe-
cies denominated by the ancients the Black Ibis.(1)
Numenivus, Cuv.(2)
The Curlews have the beak arcuated like that of the Ibis, but it
is more slender, and round throughout: the tip of the upper man-
dible extends beyond the end of the,lower one, and projects a little
downwards in front of it. The toes are palmated at base.
Scol. arcuata, L., Enl. 8183 Frisch, 224; Naum. 5, f. 5. (The
Curlew of Europe.) Is the size of a Capon; brown; the edges of
all the feathers, whitish; rump, white; tail, striped with white
aud brown. Common along the coast of Europe, and in transitu
in the interior. Its name is derived from its cry.(3)
the coverts less slender, and partly varied with white; long and pointed feathers
on the upper part of the breast, (Jdis molucca, Cuv.) and another in Bengal, with
but slightly attenuated ash coloured coverts (bis bengala, Cuvs).
Add Ib. papillosa, T. Col. 304;—Tant. calvuus, Gm., Enl. 867;—Zbis nudifrons,
Spix, 86;—Lb. oxycercus, 1d. 87;—T" albicollis, Gm. or Curicaca of Marcgr., Enl.
976;—Tant. cayennensis, Gm., Enl. 820;—Ibis plumbeus, T. Col. 235;—T'ant.
melanopis, Gm.; Lath., HI, pl. Ixxix;—JZé. chalcoptera, Vieill. Gal. 246, or T'ant.
hogedash, Lath.
(1) Add Tantalus albusand T. coco, Gm.; Enl. 195;—T" cristatus, id. ; Enl. 841;—
Ibis leucopygus, Spix, 88, if it should not prove to be the young of the ruber;—
T'ant. leucocephalus, Lath., TH, pl. Ixxx, 2. [N.B. The 7. fuscus of Gm. is the
young of the 7”. albus, Id. Am. Ed.]
(2) Numenius, derived from néoménie, new moon, on account of its crescent
shaped beak.
(3) Add the Courlis a méches étroites of the Cape (Num. virgatus, C.), Enl. 198;—
the C. a m. ét. of India (WV. lineatus);—the Mum. longirostris, Wils. of America,
Am. Orn. Il, xxiv, 4;—Wum. hudsonius, Id. LXVL, f. 1.
*
GRALLATORIA. 385
Seol. Pheeopus, L.3; Petit Courlis; Enl. 1423; Edw. 307; Frisch,
225; Naum. 10,f. 10.(1) Half the size of the preceding, but
has nearly the same plumage.(2) ‘
Scoropax, Cuy.(3)
The Snipes have a straight beak, the nasal furrows extending to
near its point which is a little inflated externally to reach beyond the
lower mandible, and on the middle of which there is a simple
groove; this point is soft and very sensible, and when dried, after death,
assumes a punctured appearance. Their feet are not palmated. A
peculiar character of these birds consists in their compressed head
and large eyes placed very far back, which gives them a singularly
stupid air, an indication which is confirmed by their habits.
Scol. rusticola, L.; La Bécasses; Enl. 885; Frisch, 126, 227;
Naum. Ed. I, I, f. 1. (The Woodcock.) The well known
plumage of this bird is variegated above with grey, red and
black spots and bands; grey beneath, with transverse blackish
lines. Its distinguishing character consists of four broad, trans-
verse, black bands, which succeed each other on the back part
of the head. During the summer it inhabits lofty mountains,
and descends into the woods in the month of October. It lives
either singly or in pairs, particularly in bad weather, and feeds
on worms and insects. Few of them remain on the plains during
summer.(4) x
Scol. gallinago, L.; La Bécassine, Enl. 8833; Frisch, 2295
Naum. 3, f. 3. (The Snipe.) Smaller than the preceding, and
with a longer beak; is distinguished by two broad, longitudinal
black bands on the head, by the neck spotted with brown and
fawn colour, by a blackish mantle with two longitudinal fawn
(1) Phaopus (ash-coloured foot), a name composed by Gesner.
(2) Add the Num. tenwirostris, Ch. Bonap.;—the Num. rufus, Vieill. Gal. 245;
—the Courlis demi-bec (Num. brevirostris, T.), Col. 381.
N.B. In this genus, and almost in the whole of this family, the beak becomes
lengthened by age.
(3) Scolopax, the Greek name of the Woodcock, from cxoro}, stake, on ac-
count of its straight and pointed beak. Vieillot has changed it into Rusrrcota.
(4) Adda closely allied species of North America (Sco/. minor, Gm.), Arct. Zool.
HI, pl. xix; Vieill. Gal. 242; Wils., VI, xlviii, 2;—Scol. sabint, Vig., Lin. Trans.
XIV, pl. xxi, if a true species.
(5) Add the Bécassine muette of Eur., Scol. Brehmii, Kaup., fsis., 1823;—Scol.
paludosa, Gm. Enl. 895, which is the Se. gallinago, Wils. V1, xlvii, 1;—WScol. gigan.
tea, Tem. Col. 403. —
The Brunetie of Buffon, Scol. pusilla, Dunlin of the English, is only the Tringa
alpina, Gm.
Vou. I.—2 Y
386 AVES.
coloured bands, by its brown wings watered with grey, by a
whitish belly, the flanks watered with brown, &c. It frequents
marshes, edges of rivulets, &c. and ascends out of sight, pour-
ing out its piercing note from a great distance, which sounds
like the bleating of a goat. It is found in nearly the same state
in all parts of the globe.
Scol. major, Gm.; La double Bécassine; Frisch, 228; Naum.
2, f. 2. (The Great Snipe.) Is distinguished from the preceding
by being a third larger, and by the grey or fawn coloured un-
dulations above being smaller, and the brown ones beneath
larger and more numerous.
Scol. gallinula, Gm.; La Seourde; Enl. 884; Frisch, 2313
Naum. 4, f. 4. (The Jack Snipe.) Nearly one half smaller than
the Scol. gallinago; has but one black band on the head; the
ground of the mantle reflects a bronze-green; a grey demi-collar
on the neck; the flanks spotted like the breast with brown; it
remains nearly the whole year in the marshes of Europe. We
should distinguish from all others, the
‘Sc. grisea, Gm.; Wils. VII, lviii, 13 Sc. Paykullii, Nils. Orn.
Suec. II, pl. 2, and in summer plumage, Scol. Noveboracensis,
Lath. (The Red-breasted Snipe.) Which differs in the external
toes being semi-palmated. It is more ash-coloured in winter, and
more reddish in summer, the rump always white, spotted with
black. It is also seen in Europe.(1)
Ruyncu#za, Cuv.(2)
Birds of India and Africa, whose nearly equal mandibles are
slightly arcuated at the end, and in which the nasal fossz extend to the
tip of the upper one, which has no third groove. Their feet are not
palmated. To the port of Snipes they add more lively colours,
and are particularly remarkable for the ocellated spots which de-
corate the quills of both wings and tail.
These birds are found of various colours, and Gmelin, consi-
dering them as varieties, unites them under the name of Scol.
capensis. MM. 'Temminck also considers them as different ages
of one bird.(3)
(1) It appears that Vieillot restricts the name of Scolopazx to this subdivision, that
is, if, as I think, his pl. 241 represents this bird; it is not, however, exact. M. Leach
makes his genus Macroramrnvs of it.
(2) Vieillot has adopted this name and genus, Gal. pl. 240.
(3) Scol. capensis, , Gm. Enl. 922, should be the adult; Scol. capensis, y, Enl.
881, or Rynchexa variegata, Vieill., Galer. 240, the young, and Enl. 270, an inter-
mediate age. The Chevalier vert, Briss. and Buff. (Rallus benghalensis, Gm.), Al-
bin. III, 90, is.also of this genus, and does not even appear to differ from the va-
at
GRALLATORIE. 387
Lrnosa, Bechst.(1)
The Godwits have a straight beak, longer than the Snipes, and
sometimes even slightly arcuated near the top. The nasal groove
extends close to the tip, which is blunt and somewhat depressed; no
third groove or punctation on its surface. The external toes are pal-
mated at base. Their form is more slender, and their legs longer
than those of Snipes; they frequent salt marshes and the sea-shore.
Scol. leucophea, Lath., and laponica, Gm.; Barge aboyeuse;
the young, Brit. Zool. pl. xiii; Briss. V, pl. xxiv, f.2; the adult
in summer plumage, Enl. 900.(2) (The Common Godwit.) In
winter, a deep brown-grey, the feathers edged with white; the
breast, a brown-grey; whitish above; rump, white striped with
brown, &c. In summer it is red, with a brown back. The tail
is always striped with white and black.
Scol. zegocephala and belgica, Gm.; Limosa melanura, Leisler;
in winter plumage, Enl. 874; in that of summer, Ib. 916. (The
Black-tailed Godwit.) In winter a cinereous grey, browner on
the backs; white belly; in summer, head, neck, and breast, red;
the mantle, brown spotted with red;° beneath, striped with
brown, red and white bands; tail always black, edged with
white at the tip. These two birds are double the size of the
Woodcock, and their changes of plumage have occasioned va-
rious multiplications of the species. The last, during the sum-
mer, covers the plains of New Holland. Its cry is very shrill
and resembles that of a Goat.(3)
; ‘
Catipris, Cuv.—Trinea, Temm.(4)
The bill of the Sandpipers is depressed at the end, and the nasal
riety represented, Enl. 922. N.B. This last plate is the only one that gives a cor-
rect representation of the beak peculiar to this little subgenus. Add, a very dis-
tinct species from Brazil, Rhynchzxa hilarea, Val., Bullet. des Sc. de Ferussac,
Cc. 2.
(1) Vieillot has changed this name into Limicuna, Gal. 243,
(2) Gmelin has made the young of this bird a variety of the following species,
and quotes the fig. of Brisson, by the name of Scol. glottis, which is a Ruff.
The adult is his Scol. laponica. The Limosa Meyeri, Leisl. and Temm., is this
species in its winter livery, and Lim. rufa, the same in its summer plumage.
(3) Add Scol. fedoa, L.; Wils. VIL, pl. lvi, 4, or the Limicula marmorata, Vieill.
Galer. 243. We might distinguish the Scol. terek or Sc. cinerea, Gm.; Guldenst.,
Nov. Act. Petrop., XIX, pl. xix, whose beak is curved upwards, and whose feet
are semi-palmated. It leadsto the Recurvirostres.
(4) Calidris, <‘an ash coloured and spotted bird, frequenting rivers and
woods,” Aristotle. Brisson has applied it to the Great Sandpiper.
388 AVES.
fosse are very long as in the Godwits, but this bill is not usually
longer than the head; their slightly bordered toes have no mem-
branes at base, and their thumb can hardly reach the ground; their
moderately long legs and short figure give them a heavier carriage
than that of the Godwits. They are also much smaller.
Tringa grisea, Tr. cinerea, and T'r. canutus, Gm.; La Mau-
béche, Enl. 366; Edw. 276; Wils. VII, lvii, 2. (The Sandpi-
per.) Winter plumage ash-coloured above, white beneath, with
blackish spots on the front of the neck and breast. In its sum-
mer livery, 7. islandica, Gm., or Tr. rufa, Wils. VIX, lvii, 5,
it is spotted above, fawn colour and blackish; underneath, red.
The 7. nevia, Enl. 365, is an intermediate state. The coverts
of the tail are always white striped with black, and its quills
grey. Nearly as large as a Snipe.
Tr. maritima, Brun.; 7. nigricans, Montag., Lin. Trans. IV,
pl. 11, f. 25 Brit. Zool. in fol., pl. c. 2, f. 1. Somewhat less
than the preceding; grey; the mantle blackish; wings undulated
with whitish; whitish belly. It is common on the coast of Hol-
land, rare in France. Always settles on stones.(1)
ARENARIA, Bechst.—-Catrpnis, Vig.
The Sanderlings resemble the Sandpipers in every point but one,
viz. they have no thumb, as is the case with the Plovers.
The species known, Charadrius calidris, Gm. Briss. V, pl.
xx, § 2; Vieill. Gal. 234, is, in winter, greyish above; front and
underneath white; blackish wings, varied with white; Wils.,
VII, lix, A. In summer, its back is spotted with fawn-colour
and black, and its breast dotted with blackish,—Char. rubidus,
Wils., VII, Ixiii, 3.(2)
Pevipna, Cuv.
The Pelidne are merely small Sandpipers, with a bill somewhat
longer than the head. The edging of their feet is insensible.
Tringa cinclus and alpina; Alouette de mer (The Sea-Lark), is
a third smaller than the Great Sandpiper, and like it, in winter,
(1) Add of European species: 7'r. Temminckit, Leisler, Col. 41, 4;—T'r. minuta,
Leisl. Naum. 21, f. 50. Of species foreign to that country: J'r. leucoptera, Gm.,
Lath. Syn. III, pl. Ixxxii;—T'r. albescens, Tem. Col. 41, 1;—T'r. maculosa, Vieill.
Dict.x—TZ'r. pusilla, Wils., pl. xxxvii, 4.
Add T'r. islandica, L., Wils. VII, p. lvii, f.2, 5. Am. Ed.
(2) It has been confounded with the Alouette de mer, in its winter plumage,
otherwise the little Sandpiper, or Z'r. arenaria. Brisson, in particular, gives the
figure of the one, and the description of the other. The Calidris tringotdes,
Vieill. Gal, 234, seems to be abad figure of this bird in its summer liyery.
a
GRALLATORIE. 389
is ash-coloured above, white beneath, and the breast shaded
with grey; in summer, its plumage is fawn-coloured above,
spotted with black, small black spots front of the neck and
breast, and a black patch under the belly. It is then the 77.
alpina, Gm., or Tr. cinclus, B. Enl. 852; Wils., VII, lvi, 2.
The 77. cinclus, L., Enl. 851, is an intermediate state.(1)
The Cocortt only differs from the Sea-larks by its beak being
slightly arcuated. ;
The species known, Scolopax subarcuata, Gm.; Numenius afri-
canus, Lath.; Naum. 21, f. 28 and 20; f. 27, is, in winter, black-
ish cbove, undulated with grey and whitish beneath; in summer
the back is spotted with black and fawn-colour, the wings are
grey, and the head and under part of the body red. It is found
everywhere, though very rarely. The
FALcINELLvS(2)
Has a beak somewhat more arcuated than that of the Cocorli; the
thumb, moreover, is deficient.
One species only is known, Scol. pygmea, L., a native of
Africa, but which has sometimes been seen in Europe.
Macuerss, Cuy.(3)
The Ruffs are true Sandpipers in their bill and carriages; the
membrane between their external toes, however, is nearly as exten-
sive as in Totanus, Limosa, &c.
One species only is known, the 7ringa pugnax, L., Enl. 305,
306. It is somewhat smaller than a snipe, and celebrated for
the furious combats which take place among the males in the
nuptial season. At this period the head is partly covered with
red papille, the neck is surrounded with a thick collar of fea-
thers, so variously arranged and coloured, and projecting in
such fantastic positions, that no two individuals can be found
alike; even before this epoch there is so much diversity in their
plumage, that many imaginary species have been described by
naturalists.(4) Their feet are always yellowish, which with
(1) This is most probably the place for the Z'ringa macroptera, Spix, XCII.
|Add Am. Spec. Z'r. Schinzii, Brehm.;—T'r. pectoralis, Bonap.;—T'r. platyr-
hinca, Temm. Am. Ed.
(2) Vieillot has changed this name into Erotra. It is not, as has been asserted,
destitute of a thumb.
(3) Mayulns, pugnator. Teasdyos, fuscus.
(4) The Chevalier varié, Buff., Sp. IV; Briss. V, pl. xvii, 2 (Z'ringa littorea,
L.; T'ringa ochropus, B.; littorea, Gm.). The Chevalier, properly so called, Buff.
390 AVES.
their beak and their semi-palmated external toes, furnish a mark
which may assist us to recognize them. This bird, common
to the whole north of Europe, is also found on the coast of
France, particularly in the spring, but it does not build
there.(1)
There are some small birds in America resembling the Sand-
pipers, whose feet are semi-palmated anteriorly; (the Hemrra-
taMA, Bonap.) Zvringa semi-palmata, Wils., VII, I\xiii, 4;
Tringa brevirostris, Spix, xciii.
It appears that it is near the Sandpipers we must place the
Evurinoruyncuus, Wilson.
Which is distinguished from them by its depressed bill, widened
at the end almost like that of the Spoonbill, the only known species
of which,
Platalea pygmea, L.; Eurinorhynchus griseus, Wils., Thunb.,
Acad., Suec., pl. VI, is one of the rarest in existence, for only
a single individual has been found: it is grey above, white be-
neath, and hardly as large as a Pelidna.
PHALARopUs, Briss.(2)
Small birds, whose bill, though flatter than that of the Sandpipers,
is similarly proportioned, and has the same grooves; the toes also
are bordered with wide membranes like those of Fulica. The spe-
cies known,
Phal. fulicarius, Bonap.; Tringalobata and Tr. fulicaria, L.(3):
has a very large beak for a member of this family.’ In winter,
it is ash-coloured above; beneath, and the head, whitish; a
black band on the neck: it is then the 7’. lobata, Edw. 308. In
summer it becomes black, streaked with fawn colour above, and
reddish beneath: there is at all times a white band on the wing,
which is blackish: it is then the Phalaropus rufus, Bechst. and
Sp. Il; Briss. V, pl. xvii, fig. 1, quoted by Gmel. under Scol. calidris; the true
Maubéche, Briss. V, pl. xx, fig. 1 (T'ringa calidris, Gm.): the bird of Frisch, pl.
238, are all ruffs in different states of plumage, many other varieties of which
might still be represented.
According to Meyer, the T'ringa grenovicensis, Lath. is also a young Ruff.
(1) A true Ruff was shot on Long Island a few weeks ago (May 1830). It is
the only one ever found in this country. Am. Ed.
(2) Vieillot has changed this name into Crymoruite, Gal., pl. 270.
(3) Meyer improperly confounds this bird, Edw. 308, with the 7'ringa hyper-
borea and the T'ringa fusca, which have the beak of a Totanus, and of which we
make our Lonirss.
Se
.. tx, uf
eee tee ee
GRALLATORIA. 391
ge
Meyer; Zringa fulicaria, L., Edw. 142;(1) Crymophile roux,
Vieill., Gal., 270. This bird is rare in Europe.
STREPSILAS.(2)
The Turn-stones stand rather low; the bill is short, and the toes
are without membranes, like those of the true Sandpipers; but this
bill is conical, pointed, without any depression, compression, or in-
flation, and the nasal fosse do not extend to more than half its
length. The thumb barely reaches the ground. Their bill, which
is stronger and stiffer in proportion than that of the preceding birds,
enables them to overturn stones, beneath which they find worms.
The mantle of one species is varied with black and red; head
and belly, white; cheeks and breast, blacks; it is disseminated
throughout both continents, and is the Zringa interpres, L.,
Enl. 856. There is also one varied with grey and brown, which
is perhaps but the same species at a different age—Enl. 340
and 857; Vieill. Gal. 237.(3)
Toranus, Cuv.(4)
The beak of these birds is slender, round, pointed and solid; the
nasal fosse do not extend beyond the half of its length, and the
upper mandible is slightly arcuated near the end. Their form is
light and their legs long; but a small part of their thumb rests on
the ground; their external web is well marked. Each of the species
is found throughout almost the whole of the globe.
Scol. glottis, L.; Chevalier aux pieds verts; Albin. Il, 69; Al-
drov. Orn. III, 535; Brit. Zool. pl. c. 1? As large asa Limosa,
beak thick and strong, a brown ash colour above and on the
sides; edges of the feathers dotted with brown; white rump and
belly; tail marked with narrow and irregular grey and white
stripes; the feet green. In summer the neck and breast are
spotted with brown; in winter the whole under part of the body
is white. It is the largest of all the European species. Scol.
fusca, L.3 Cheval noir; Barge brune; Buff. Enl. 875; Frisch,
236,(5) has the graceful form of the Godwit, and in summer is
a blackish brown above and slate-coloured beneath; the feathers
(1) Gmelin has increased the confusion by quoting this bird as a variety of the
hyperborea.
(2) Vieillot has changed this name into that of Arznarta, Gal. pl. 237.
(3) See Edw., 141; Naum., Suppl. 62, f. 118; Wils. VIL, lyii, 2. The Chevalier
varié, Enl. 300, referred by Meyer to Strepsilas, is merely a Ruff.
(4) Totano, the Venetian name of a Limosa or Totanus.
(5) According to Meyer, the Scol. curonica and cantabrigiensis, and the T'ringe
atra, Gm. should be referred to this bird. The two first are the young ones.
392
AVES.
bordered or dotted on the edge with whitish; the rump white,
and the tail striped with brown and white, two characters which
exist more or less in all the species of Europe; feet of a reddish
brown. In winter the belly and breast become white, when it
is almost ash coloured above, with red feet. It is then the
Grand Chevalier a pieds roges, Scol. calidris, L. Enl. 876.(1)
Tringa gambetta, Gm. Gambetie; Enl. 845; Frisch, 240,
Naum. 9, f. 9. In summer, brown above, with black spots, and
some few white ones, on the edges of the feathers; white be-
neath with brown spots, particularly on the breast and neck;
red feet; numerous brown and white stripes on the tail. In win-
ter its spots are nearly effaced, and the mantle i is of an almost
uniform grey; in this state it is the fig., Enl. 827. Its size is a
third less.
Totanus stagnatilis, Bechst.; Chevalier a longs pieds, Bonelli.
Something smaller than the preceding, but has longer and more
slender legs: in summer its back is brown, with irregular black
spots; its belly white, and brown spots mark the neck and
breast. In winter the mantle becomes of a uniform grey, and
the under part of the body white. The stripes on the tail are
irregular and parallel to its edges.
Tringa ochropus, L.; Le Bécasseau; Enl. 843. A bronze-black
above, the edges of the feathers dotted with whitish; white be-.
neath, spotted with grey on the forepart of the neck and on the
sides; only three black bands on the lower half of the tail; feet,
greenish; still smaller than either of the two preceding ones.
It is much esteemed as game, and is common along the banks
of rivulets in Europe, although it is rather a solitary bird.
Tringa glareola, Gm.; Bécasseau des bois, chiefly differs from
the preceding in having from seven to eight blackish stripes
along the whole length of the tail. The pale spots on its back
are broader. The spots on the neck and breast almost totally
disappear in winter.
Tot. macularius, Wils. VII, lix, 1, 2°(2) Tringa hypoleucos,
L.; La guignette, Enl. 850. The smallest of the European spe-
cies, being about as large as a Pelidna (Zr. alpina, Gm.);
a bronzed greenish-brown, with transverse, fawn coloured
and black marks on the wings; beneath and in front, white;
rump, and the middle quills of the tail, colour of the back, the
lateral ones only being striped with black and white as in the
(1) Under the wrong name of Barge grise.
(2) This mark of doubt may be removed: it is not the Tot. macularius, Wils.
Am. Ed.
oe
ae
GRALLATORIAZ. 393
other species. The feathers of the beak as well as the small
Wing-coverts, when young, have a light fawn coloured edging.
Its habits are the same as those of the preceding.
Among the species foreign to Europe, we should particularly
notice that of North America, with the large beak and semi-
palmated feet, Scolopax semipalmata, L.; Ency. Method. PI.
Ornith., pl. Ixxi, fig. 1; Wils. VII, lvi, 3, which is nearly as
large as the one first named, with a shorter and thicker beak,
plumage brown-grey above, whitish beneath; brownish spots on
the neck and breasts; toes well bordered with equal and consi-
derable membranes.(1) The
LopirEs, Cuv.(2)
We think requires to be separated from Phalaropus, because al-
though the feet are similar, the bill is that of a Totanus; such is
Tringa hyperborea, L.; Lobipéde a hausse-col; Enl. 766, of
which the 7ringa fusca, Edw. 46, is probably the female or the
young. This little bird, which is grey above, white beneath,
and has its scapulars tinged with red, has a broad red gorget
round its white throat.(3)
Himanropus,(4) Briss.
The bill round, slender and pointed, even more so than that of a
(1) It is on this character that M. Ch. Bonaparte founds his subgenus Caror-
rropnorus. Addto the common species, Tot. speculiferus, which resembles the
semipalmatus, but stands higher, and has a longer beak, with the usual feet;—
Tot. vociferus, Wils. VII, lviii, 5, or Zot. melanolewcos, Ord, Ib.;—Tot. flavipes,
Wils., LVI, 4;—~7ot. solitarius (Tot. glareolus, Wils.), Wils., VU, lviii, 3. [See
App. XXIV of Am. Ed.] The Tot. Bartramius, Wils., VU, lix, 2, has a propor-
tionally shorter beak than the other species, although in every thing else its
characters are the same.
N.B. This genus, mixed up by Buffon with several varieties of Ruffs, has been
distributed by Linnzus, without any reason, among his two genera Scolopax and
Tringa. ‘This confusion is not yet dissipated, as I had no opportunity of observ-
ing all the foreign species. Itis easy to see, however, that I could not retain the
genus Aritts of Illiger.
I should also observe, that the most exact descriptions will not suffice for dis-
tinguishing the species with certainty, until those of my Toranus are separated
from my Sandpipers and Godwits, according to the forms of the beak, as above
mentioned. Itis this which has prevented me from giving all the synonymes of
Bechstein and Meyer.
(2) M. Vieillot, to have the air of producing a change, retains here the name of
Phalaropus. i
(3) Add the Phal. frenatus, Vieill. Gal. pl. 271, or Phal. liseré, T. Col. 270;
Wils., IX, pl. lxiii, f. 3? Itis the subgenus Hoxoronrus of Ch. Bonap.
(4) Himantopus, feet like a string, (alluding to their weakness) is the name
given to this bird in Pliny.
Vou. I.—2 Z
394 AVES.
Totanus, and the nasal grooves occupy but half its length. The ex-
cessive length and tenuity of the legs which are reticulated and des-
titute of a thumb, and the weakness of their bones, which is so ex-
treme as to render walking painful to them, are what principally
distinguish the species of this subgenus, and give rise to their
name.
One species only is known in Europe,—Charadrius himantopus,
L., Enl. 878, which is white, with a black calotte and mantle,
and long red feet; it is a rare bird whose habits are but im-
perfectly known.(1)
This is perhaps the only place for the
Recurvirostra, Lin.
Or the Avosets, although their feet, which are webbed to near the
ends of the toes, almost entitle them to a situation among the Pal-
mipedes; but their high tarsi and half naked legs, their long, slen-
der, pointed, smooth, and elastic bill, together with the mode of life
resulting from this conformation, equally approximate them to the
Snipes. What particularly characterizes, and even distinguishes
them from all other birds, is the strong upward curve of their beak.
Their legs are reticulated, and their thumb much too short to reach
the ground.
_ The European species,—Recurv. avocetia, L., Enl. 353, is
white; a black calotte and three bands on the wing of the same
hue; feet, lead-coloureds it is a pretty bird of a graceful form,
found in winter on the sea shore. The American species,—R.
americana, Wils. VII, Ixiii, 2; Leach, Zool. Misc., pl. 101,
differs from it in a red hood.
The coasts of the Indian seas produce a third which is white,
with black wings and red feet, the #. orientalis, Cuv.(2)
FAMILY V.
MACRODACTYLI.
This family is farnished with very long toes, fitted for walk-
ing on the grass of marshes, and even for swimming, in those
numerous species especially, in which they are bordered with
a membrane. ‘There are no membranes, however, between
(1) Add, Him. nigricollis, Wils. VII, pl. lviii, 2, and Vieill. Gal. pl. 229.
(2) Vieillot has changed this name into Recurvir. leucocephala, Gal. pl. 272.
GRALLATORIA. 395
the bases of their toes, not even between the external ones.
The beak, more or less compressed on the sides, is lengthened
or shortened according to the genus, never, however, becom-
ing as slender or as weak as that of the preceding family.
The body of these birds is also singularly compressed, a cir-
cumstance which is owing to the narrowness of the sternum 3
their wings are moderate or short, and their flight feeble.
They all have a long thumb.
They have been divided into two tribes according to the
armature or non-armature of their wings ; but this character is
liable to exceptions. .
JacaNas, Briss.—Parra, Lin.(1)
The Jacanas are greatly distinguished from the other Grallatoriz
by having four very long toes, separated down to their root, the
nails of which, that of the thumb in particular, are also extremely
long and pointed, from which peculiarity, they have received their
vulgar name of Swrgeons. The beak is similar to that of the Lap-
wings in its moderate length, and in the slight inflation of its end.
Their wing isarmed with a spur. They are noisy and quarrelsome
birds, which inhabit marshes of hot climates, where they walk with
ereat facility by means of their long toes.
America produces some species in which the base of the bill is
covered by a flat, naked membrane, which extends to part of the
forehead.
P. jacana, L. Enl. 322. (The Common Jacana.) Black, with
ared mantles the primary wing-quills green; fleshy wattles under
the beaks; very sharp-pointed spurs. It is the most common
species in all the hot climates of America.(2)
Some of the same description are also found in Asia,
(1) Jacana, or Jahana, is properly, in Brazil, the name of the Galhinule. The
Surgeons are there called quapwazos, because they walk over the aquatic plants
called Aquape (Azzar.). It is possibly through an error of transcription that one
of themin Marcgrave is named Aguapeccaca.
Parra is the Latin name of some unknown bird.
(2) The J. varié (P. variabilis), Enl. 846, is only the common species at an early:
age. “The, P. brasiliensis and the P. nigra exist only on the somewhat equivocal
authority, of Marcgrave. The P. wiridis, which also rests on the description of
Maregrav €, appears to me, from the description itself, to be a Porphyrio. ‘The P.
africana, Lath. scarcely differs. As for the P. chavaria, see the following article
on the Palamedee. a ph G10
en MP wie tt pe
4
te a ee
396 AVES.
P. znea,(1) with a black body reflecting blue and violet tints;
mantle bronze-green; rump and tail blood-red; anterior quills
of the wing green; a white streak behind theeye. Its spursare
blunt and small.
Others have been discovered in the East, in which this membrane
is deficient, and which are otherwise remarkable for some singular
differences in the proportions of their quills.
P. chinensis; Jacana a longue queue; Encycl. Method., Orn.
pl. 61, f. 1; Vieill. Gal. 265. (The Long-tailed Jacana.) Brown;
head, throat, front of the neck and coverts of the wings whites
back of the neck furnished with silky feathers of a golden yel-
low; asmall pediculated appendage to the end of some of the
wing-quills; four quills of the tail black, and longer than the
body. The Chirurgien de Lucon of Sonnerat, (P. luzoniensis,) is
the young of the same: independently of some difference in the
colours, it has not yet acquired its long tail.
The East produces others which are tufted, and in which the spur
on the wing is deficient, P. gallinacea, Tem. 464.
PALAMEDEA, Lin.
The Kamichi resemble the Jacanas, but on a very large scale, in
the two strong spurs of each of their wings, in their long toes and
strong nails, that of the thumb in particular, which is long and
straight as in the Larks; but their beak, whose aperture is small, is
but slightly compressed, and is not inflated; the upper mandible,
also, is somewhat arcuated. Their legs are reticulated. The species
known,
P. cornuta, L., Enl. 4513 Vieill. Gal. 2613; Anhima in Brazil;
Camouche at Cayenne, &c. is larger than the Goose, blackish,
with a red spot on the shoulder, and a singular appendage on
top of the head, consisting of a long, slender, mobile and horny
stem. There are no membranes between the toes. This bird is
found in the inundated places of South America, and has a very
loud cry. It is a strict monogamist. It has been said that it
hunts reptiles, but though its stomach is but slightly muscular,
it rarely feeds on any thing but aquatic plants and seeds.(2)
A distinct genus has been made of another,
Cuauna, Illig.(3)
Parra chavaria, L.; Chaia of Paraguay, Azzar.; Col. 2195
(1) Vieillot has changed this specific name into melanchloris, Gal. 264. It is
also the P. superciliosa, Horsf. Jav.
(2) Bajon., Mem. sur Cayenne, II, 284.
(3) Vieillot has changed this name into OrrsroLornvs.
GRALLATORLA. 397
Vieill. Gal. 267, which has no horn on the vertex, and whose
occiput is ornamented with a circle of erectile feathers. The
head and upper:part of the neck are only covered with down,
and it has a black collar. The rest of its plumage is lead-co-
loured, and blackish with a white spot on the tip of the wing,
and a second over the base of some of the large quills. The ex-
ternal toes are considerably palmated. It chiefly feeds on aquatic
plants, and the Indians of Carthagena always keep some of them
among their geese and chickens, as it is sufficiently courageous,
according to them, to repulse even the Vulture. A singular
circumstance attending this bird is, that air is every where in-
terposed between the skin and muscles, even on the legs, in
such a quantity as causes it to crackle under the finger.
Although there is scarcely any part of the leg naked in(1)
Mrecaropivs,
We still think it should be placed near Palamedea. It is a genus
lately discovered in New Guinea, in which the bill is arched and
slightly compressed, the membranous nostrils occupying about the
one half; the legs are strong, high, and scutellated; the thumb and
toes long, and terminated by large nails somewhat flattened; the tail
is short, the circumference of the eye partly naked, and there is a
small tubercle on the carpus, the first and slight vestige of the spur
of the Palamedez. The membrane between the external toesis very
short; between the internal ones it is somewhat larger. The eggs
are very disproportionate in size to that of the bird.
One species is tufted almost like the Chavaria,—the Megap.
Duperrey, Less. and Garn., Voy. de Duperr. Zool., pl. 37. Two
others, the WZ. de Freycinet and M. de Lapeyrouse, Quoy and Gaym.
Voy. de Freycin. pl. 28 and 27, and Col. 220, are destitute of
the tuft.(2) A fourth, which is smaller, the Alectelie de Dur-
ville, Voy. de Dup., pl. 38, appears to have no tail.
Of the tribe whose wings have no armature, Linnzeus com-
prises in his genus Fuliea such as have their beak prolonged.
into a sort of shield, which partly covers the forehead; and
in his genus adlus, those in which this peculiarity does not
exist. [See App. XXV of Am. Ed.]
(1) There is scarcely any part of the leg naked in the Rallus Crex.
(2) The Mégap. Duperrey is called Tavon in Manilla. Although hardly as large as a
Partridge, it lays an egg equal in size to that of a Goose. Add the Mégap. a pieds
rouges, Col. 411.
398 AVES.
Rauuwus, Linn.
The Rails, which, in other respects, have a strong, mutual re-
semblance, present bills of very different proportions.
Among the species in which it is longest, the Ratius, Bechst., is
placed
Ral. aquaticus, L.3; Rale d’eau d’Europe, Enl. 749; Naum. 20,
f.41. (The Water Rail.) A fawn coloured brown, spotted with
blackish above; bluish ash colour beneath; the flanks striped
with white and black; common in ponds, &c., where it swims
well, and runs lightly over the leaves of aquatic plants; it feeds
on small shrimps, and its flesh has a marshy odour.(1)
Other species have a shorter beak, Crex, Bechst., among which
we find
Ral. crex, L.3 Le Rale de genéts, Enl. 7503 Frisch, 212, B;
Naum. 5, f. 5. Fawn coloured brown, spotted with black above;
greyish beneath; flanks streaked with black; red wings. It lives
and builds in the fields, running through the grass with great
celerity. Its name, Crez, expresses the sound of its note. It
has been called the Quail-King, because it arrives and departs
with those birds, and leads a solitary life on the same grounds,
from which arose the conjecture that it was their leader. It
feeds on grain, as well as on worms and insects.
Ral. porzana,L.; La Marouette, Enl. 7513 Frisch, 2113; Naum.
31, f. 42. (The Little Spotted Rail.) A deep brown dotted
with white; flanks marked with whitish stripes; found in the
vicinity of ponds, and constructs a nest with reeds, that has the
form of a wherry, which it fastens to the stem of some one of
those plants; it is a good swimmer and diver, and does not leave
France till the middle of winter.(2)
(1) There is a variety or species at the Cape, Rallus cxrulescens, Cuv., the
black and white stripes of whose abdomen are merely a little more extended. Add
ofthe Water Rails: al. virginianus, Edw., 729; Wils. LXII, 1;—crepitans, 1b. 2;—
longirostris, Enl. 849;—variegatus, Enl. 775;—philippensis, Enl. 774;—torquatus;—
striatus;—the Fulica cayennensis (which is a true Rail), Enl. 352, as well as the
Gallinula gigas, Spix, xcix;—sarracura, Id. XCVIN;—mangle, Id. XCVIL;—ru/ji-
ceps, Id. XCVI, and ceria, Id. XCV.—The Ral. fuscus, Enl. 773, begins to have a
shorter bill. :
(2) There are two other Rails in Europe with short beaks, smaller than the
porzana, R. Baillioni, Vieill. Dict., and A. pusillus, Naum., 32, F. 45. Among
these short beaked Rails may be placed the fal. cayennensis, Enl. 753 and 368;—
minutus, Enl. 847;—jamaicensis, Edw. 278;—noveboracensis, Vieill. Gal. 266;—
nigro-lateralis, Lichten.;—carolinus, Edw. 144, Wils. 48, 2;—Gallinula eurizona,
T: Col. 417;—G. rubiginosa, Id. Col. 387.
The Ral. benghalensis, Gm., isa Rhynchze.
GRALLATORIA. 399
Fouica, Lin.
The Coots may be divided as follows, from the form of the beak
and the appliances of the feet.
Gauinuta, Briss. and Lath.
Or the Water Hens. The beak very similar to that of the Ground-
Rail, from which these birds are distinguished, by the shield on the
forehead, and by very long toes, furnished with a very narrow
border. ;
Fulica chloropus, L.3 La Poule d’Eau commune, Enl. 877;
Frisch, 209; Naum. 29 and 38. (The Water-Hen.) A deep
brown above; slate-grey beneath, with some white on the thighs,
along the middle of the lower part of the abdomen, and on the
external edge of the wing. The young, Fulica fusca, Gm., Pou-
lette d’eau, Buff., are more lightly coloured, and have a larger
frontal escutcheon.(1)
Porruyrio, Briss.
The beak higher in proportion to its lengths very long toes, with-
out any very sensible borders; the frontal shield large, rounded in
some, and square above in others. ‘These birds stand on one foot,
using the other to convey their food to the beak. Their colours are
usually fine shades of blue, violet and aqua-marina. Such is
Fulica porphyrio, L.; Poule Sultane Ordinaires Edw. 87, a
beautiful African bird, now naturalized in several islands and
coasts of the Mediterranean.(2) Its beauty would render it an
ornament to our pleasure grounds.
Fuuica, Briss.
The True Coots, in addition to a short beak and a large frontal
shield, have their toes much widened by a festooned border that
renders them excellent swimmers, in consequence of which their
(1) The Poule d’eaw ardoisée de ? Inde, Vieill. Gal. 268, hardly differs from the
common one;—the P. d’eaw tachetée, or the Grinette, F. nevia, Alb., I, 73, is only
a young ftal. crex. Add Ral. phxnicurus, Enl. 896.
Add Gal. martinica, Gm.; Wils. IX, pl. Ixxiii, f. 2. Am. Ed.
(2) The Ful. maculata, flavipes and fistulans, originally rest on some bad
figures of Gesner, from drawings which had been sentto him. But the Fud. mar-
tinica and flavirostris are true Rhyncheas. The mariinica is in Vieill. Gal. 267.
Add the Taléve d manteau verd (Porph. smaragnotus, T.), En}. 910;—the 7! ¢ man-
teau noir (Porph. melanotos, T.);—the JT. meunier (P. pulverulentus, T. ), Col.
405;—the T. emeraudine (P. smaragdinus, T.) Col. 421;—the P. albus, L. Philip.
Voy. to Bot. Bay, p. 273; J. White, p. 238.
400 AVES.
lives are passed in ponds and marshes. Their polished plumage is
not less adapted to this kind of life than their conformation, and
these birds establish an evident link between the order of the Gral-
latoriz and that of the Palmipedes. There is but one in Europe,
fF. atra, F. aterrima, and F. ethiops, Gm.; La Foulque, Enl.
197, Frisch. 208, Naum. 30, f. 40. (TheCoot.) The shield of
a deep slate colours; edge of the wings whitish; in the nuptial
season the shield becomes red: found wherever there is a
pond.(1)
We will terminate this sketch of the Grallatoriz with three
genera, which it is diflicult to associate with any other, and
which may be considered as forming separately so many small
families.
Curonis, Foster.—Vacinatts, Lath.
Or the Sheath-Bills. Their legs are short, almost like those of the
Gallinacee; their tarsi scutellated, their bill stout and conical, hav-
inga hard substance enveloping its base, which, it appears, the bird
has the power of raising and depressing.
Only one species is known, and that is from New Holland,
Vag. Chionis, Lath. III, pl. 89, Chionis necrophaga, Vieill. Gal.
258. Itis the size of a Partridge, with entirely white plumage.
It haunts the sea-coast, where it feeds on the dead animals
thrown up by the waves.
GLAREOLA.
The beak of the Pratincoles is short, conical, arcuated throughout,
has a large opening, and resembles that of the Gallinacez. Their
excessively long and pointed wings remind us of the Swallows,(2)
or of the Palmipedes of the high seas; their legs are of a moderate
length, their tarsi scutellated, and their external toes somewhat pal-
mated; their thumb touches the ground. Aquatic worms and insects
constitute their food. The European species,
Glar. austriaca, Enl. 8823; Glar. pratincola, Leach, Lin.
Trans., XIII, pl. xii; Naum., 29, F. 59, is brown above, white
beneath and on the rump; a black circle round the throat; feet
and base of the beak, reddish. It appears to be found in all the ©
north of the eastern continent.(3) .
ig 0 . ae
ye
(1) Add the Coot of Madagascar (Ful. cristata, Gm.) Enl. 797; Vieill. Gal. 269.
Add also F’. americana, Gm.; Wils. IX, pl. Ixxili, f..1. . Am. Ed.
(2) Linnzus (Edit. XII) even placed the"common species in the genus Hirundo,
under the name of Hir. pratincola. os
(3) Glareola nxvia, Gm. , is the young of the common species. See Leach, Lin.
GRALLATORI&, A401
Our last genus will be that of
Puanicorrerus, Lin. “e
Or the Flamingos, one of the most extraordinary and insulated of
all birds. The legs are excessively long; the three anterior toes are
palmated to their ends, and that of the hind one is extremely short;
the neck, quite as long and slender as the legs, and their small head
furnished with a beak whose lower mandible is an oval longitudinally
bent into a semi-cylindrical canal, while the upper one, oblong
and flat, is bent crosswise in its middle, so as to join the other
exactly. [he membranous fossz of the nostrils occupy nearly all
the side of the part which is behind the transverse fold, and the
nostrils themselves are longitudinal slits in the base of the fosse.
The edges of the two mandibles are furnished with small, and very
delicate transverse laminz, which, with the fleshy thickness of the
tongue, creates some affinity between them and the Ducks. Were
it not for the length of their tarsi, and the nudity of their legs, we
might even place them among the Palmipedes. They, feed on shell
fish, insects, and the spawn of fishes, which they capture by means of
their long neck, turning the head on one side to give more-effect to
the hook of the upper mandible. They construct their nest of earth
in marshes, placing themselves astride of it to hatch their eggs, a
position to which they are forced to resort, by the length of their
legs. The species known,
Ph. ruber, Enl. 68 (The Red Flamingo), is from three to four
feet in height; ash coloured, with brown streaks, during the
first year; in the second there is a rosy hue on the wings, and
in the third it acquires a permanent purple-red on the back, and
rose-coloured wings. The quills of the wing are black; the
beak yellow, with a black tip, and the feet brown.
' This species is found in all parts of the eastern continent be-
low 40°. Numerous flocks are seen on the southern coast of
France, and they sometimes ascend as far as the Rhine.
M. Temminck thinks that the American Flamingo, which is alto-
gether of a bright red, Wils. VIII, 66, and Catesb. 73, is a different
species from that of Europe.(1)
Trans. XIII, pl. xii, f. 2. Add Glar. australis, Leach, loc. cit. pl. xiv, or Glar.
isabella, Vieill. Gal. 263;—Glar. orientalis, Leach, X1Il;—Glar. lactea, Tem.
Col. 399.
(1) M. Temminck has positively ascertained that the Flamingo of America is
different from that of Europe. The latter he calls Phen. antiquorum, but the
American species Ph. ruber. Am. Ed.
Vou. I.—s A
402 AVES.
ORDER VI.
PALMIPEDES.
These birds are characterized by their feet, formed for
natation, that is to say, placed far back on the body, attached
to short and compressed tarsi, and with palmated toes. Their
dense and polished plumage saturated with oil, and the thickly
set down which is next to their skin, protect them from the
water in which they live. They are the only birds whose
beak surpasses—which it sometimes does to a considerable ex-
tent—the length of their feet, and this is so, to enable them to
search for their food in the depths below, while they swim on
the surface. ‘Their sternum is very long, affording a com-
plete guard to the greater part of their viscera, having, on
each side, but one emargination or oval foramen, filled up
with membrane. Their gizzard is usually muscular, the ceca
long, and the inferior larynx simple; in one family, however,
the latter is so inflated as to form cartilaginous capsules.
This order admits of a tolerably precise division into four
families.
FAMILY I.
BRACHYPTERZ.
A part of this family has some external affinities with that of
the Gallinule. Their legs, placed further back than in any
other birds, renders walking painful to them, and obliges them,
when on land, to stand vertically. In addition to this, as
most of them have but feeble powers of flight, and as some of
them are wholly deprived of that faculty, we may consider
them as exclusively attached to the surface of the water:
their plumage is extremely dense, and its surface frequently
polished, presenting a silvery lustre. ‘They swim under wa-
ter, using their wings with almost as much effect as though
they were fins. Their gizzard is muscular, and their c#ca
aa
PALMIPEDES. 403
moderate ; the lower larynx is furnished on each side with
a peculiar muscle.
Co.tymsus, Lin.(1)
The only particular character of the Divers is a smooth, straight,
compressed and pointed bill, and linear nostrils; but the differences
in the feet have caused them to be subdivided.
»
Popicrers, Lath.—Cotymeus, Briss. and Illig.
The toes of the Grebes, instead of being palmated, are widened
like those of the Coots, the anterior ones only being united at base
by membranes. The middle nail is flattened, and the tarsus strongly
compressed. ‘The semi-metallic lustre of their plumage has caused
it to be occasionally employed as fur. Their tibia, as well as that
of the succeeding subgenera, is prolonged above into a point which
gives a more efficient insertion to the extensors of the leg.
These birds live on lakes, &c., and build among the rushes.
In certain circumstances, it appears that they carry their young ones
under their wings. Their size and plumage are so much changed
by age, as to have caused an improper multiplication of species.
M. Meyer reduces those of Europe to four.
Col. cristatus, Gm., Enl. 400 and 944; Frisch, 1833; Naum.
69, F. 1063 Col. urinator, Gm., Enl. 941; Edw. 36 (The Crested
Grebe), is the size of a duck; blackish-brown above, silver-white
beneath; a white band on the wing; it acquires with age a double
black tuft, and the adults have in addition a broad red collarette
on the upper part of the neck, edged with black.
Col. cornutus, Enl. 404, 2; Col. obscurus, Enl. 9423; and Col.
caspicus, Gm., Vieill. Gal. 281; Edw. 145 (The Horned
Grebe), resembles the preceding in form, but the collarette of
the adult is blacks its tufts and the front of its neck red. It is
much smaller.
Col. subcristatus; and the young, parotis and rubricollis, Enl.
931; Lath. Supp. I, 118; Naum. 70, f. 107 (The Grey-cheeked
Grebe), also has the front of its neck red, but the tufts of the
adult are small and black, and its collarette very short and grey.
- Intermediate, as to size, between the two last.
Col. minor, Gm. Enl. 905 (The Little Grebe), is as large as
a Quail, and has neither crest nor collarettes; its plumage is
brown, more or less shaded with red, the breast and belly ex-
cepted, where itis asilver-grey. The throat of the young bird
is white. (2)
(1) Colymbus, the Greek name of these birds.
(2) Add the Pod. carolinensis, Lath., Catesb. 41, 91, Enl. 93;—the Gr. aux
404 AVES.
Hetiornis, Bonnat.—Popoa, Illig.—Gresirou.tques, Buff.
The feet lobulate as in the Coots and Grebes, but the tail more
developed than in either of the two; the nails also are sharper.(1)
[See App. XXVI of Am. Ed.
Mercus, Briss.(2)—Cotymsus, Lath.—Evpyrss, Illig.
The true Divers have the feet of ordinary Palmipedes, along
with all the forms of the Grebes, that is, the anterior toes are united
to their ends by membranes, and are terminated by pointed nails.
They are northern birds, which rarely breed in France, where they
arrive in winter, at which season is occasionally seen on the coast,
Col. glacialis, L., Enl. 9523 Col. immer, Gm., Wils. Am. IX,
Ixxiv, 3; Naum. 66, f. 103. (The Great Northern Diver.)
The adult is two feet six inches in length, its head and neck
black, changing to a green with a whitish collars back, a black-
ish brown dotted with whitish; white beneath; the lower man-
dible, which has a slight curve upwards, is marked by a groove
beneath. The young birds, Col. immer, Gm., Briss., VI, x, 1,
which more frequently visit the fresh waters, differ considerably
as to the extent of the black on the neck, and of the grey or
brown on the back, which, added to their diminished size, has
occasioned a multiplication of the number of species. We dis-
tinguish
Col. arcticus, L., Edw. 146; Naum. Supp. 30, f. 60; and the
young, Enl. 914 (The Black-throated Diver), ‘which is some-
what smaller; the back of the neck ash-coloured, and the lower
mandible straight and without a groove. The young resemble
those of the preceding.
Col. septentrionalis, Enl. 308; Edw. 97; Naum. 67, f. 94; Vieill.
Gal. 282; Col. stellatus, Gm.; Buff. VIII, xxi; Enl. 992, Naum.
Supp. 31, f. 62. (The Red-throated Diver.) The adult male is
brown above, white beneath; face and sides of the neck ash-co-
loured; front of the neck red. The female and the young are
brown dotted with white above, and all white beneath.
belles joues (Pod. kalipareus, Less. and Garn.), Voy. de la Coq., Zool. No. 45;—the
Gr. Rolland (Pod. Rollandi), Quoy and Gaym., Voy. de Freycin., Zool., pl. xxxvi.
(1) Plotus surinamensis, Gmel., Enl. 893;—Heliornis senegalensis, Vieill. Gal.
280. M. Ch. Bonap. as wellas Gmelin, thinks that this genus should be approx-
imated to that of Anhinga.
(2) Mergus (diver), the Latin name of some sea-bird difficult to determine. Lin-
neus, following Gesner, has applied it to the Merganser. Hudytes, a Greek word
composed by Hliger, has the same meaning.
PALMIPEDES. 405
Uri, Briss. et Illig.(1) _
The Guillemots have a bill, which, though of the general form
of the preceding, is covered with feathers down to the nostrils; there
is also an emargination at the point which is somewhat arcuated.
Their chief character, however, consists in the absence of the thumb.
Their wings, much shorter than those of the divers, scarcely enable
them to flutter. They feed on fish, crabs, &c, and are sais among
rocky precipices when they breed.
The large species called the Great Guillemot, Colymbus troile,
L., Enl. 903; Brit. Zool., pl. H; Edw. 359, 15 Frisch, 185, is
the size of a Duck, the head and neck brown, back and wings
blackish, and a white belly; there is a white line upon the wing
formed by the tips of the secondary quills. It inhabits the ex-
treme North, although it breeds on the rocky coasts of England
and Scotland. In very hard winters it is seen on those of
France.
There is a smaller species which is black, with the upper
part of the wing white, Col. Grylle, L.; Vieill. Gal. 294; Choris.,
Voy. aut. du M., Isles Aleut., pl. xxii, sometimes mottled
throughout with white, C. marmoratus, Frisch, Suppl. B., pl.
185, Edw. 50 and Penn., Arct. Zool., II, xxii, 2. Individuals
are sometimes seen, all white, C. /acteolus, Pall.(2)
We may also separate from the Guillemots the
Crpuus,(3)
Vulgarly called Greenland Divers, which have a shorter bill with
a more arcuated back, but without any emargination. The symphysis
of the lower mandible is extremely short. Their wings are larger,
and the membranes of their feet well indented.
The species most known, called the Little Guillemot or Green-
land Dove, Colymbus minor, Gm.; Enl. 9173; Mergulus Alle,
Vieill. Gal. 295; Brit. Zool. pl. H, 4, f. 13 Edw. 913 Naum.
Ed. I, 65, f. 102, is the size of a large Pigeon, black above,
(1) Uria, the Greek, or rather Latin name of an aquatic bird which appears to
have been either a Diver ora Grebe. Guillemot, the English name, would seem
to indicate its stupidity.
(2) Add the G. a grosbee (Uria Prunnichii, Sabine), Choris, Voy. aut. du M. pl.
xxi;— Uria lacrymans, Lapil., Ib., ¥X11—consult the article inserted there on this
genus by M. Valenciennes.
(3) Cephus, the name of some sea bird often mentioned by the Greek writers,
which appears to have been a species of Petrel or Gull. Mchring, and subse-
quently Pallas, applied it to the Divers and Guillemots. Vieillot has changed it
into Mergulus, Gal. 295.
406 AVES.
white beneath, with a white line on the wing as in the Guille-
mot. Its bill is black, and feet red. Inhabits all the northern
coasts, and builds under ground. It is sometimes seen on the
French coast in winter.
ALCAS Link
The Auks are known by the very much compressed, vertically
raised bill which has a trenchant back, and is usually grooved
transversely;*and by the feet which are completely palmated, and
have no thumb like those of the Guillemot. All these birds inhabit
the northern seas. We may divide the genus into two subgenera.
ah
FRATERCULA, Briss.—Mormon, Illig.
Or the Puffins, whose bill, shorter than the head, is as high and
higher at base than it is long, which gives it a very extraordinary
form; a folded skin usually covers its base. The nostrils placed near
the edge are mere slits. Their small wings can just sustain them
for a moment; they live upon the ocean and breed on the rocks.
The most common species, .Z/ca arctica, L. and labradoria,
Gm.; Mormon fratereula, Tem. Enl. 275; Brit. Zool., pl. H;
Edw. 358, 1; Frisch, 192; Naum. 65, f. 101, is the size of a Pi-
geon, and has a black calotte and mantle; white beneath. It
sometimes breeds among the cliffs on the English coast, and is
very common on those of France during the winter.(1)
M. Temminck distinguishes, under the name of Stariques (Pua-
LERIS) those species which have a less elevated bill.(2)
Auca, Cuv.(3)
The true Auks have a more elongated bill, resembling in form
the blade of a knife; it is covered with feathers as far as the nos-
trils. Their wings are decidedly too small to support them, and
therefore they never attempt to fly.
Alca torda and pica, Gm.; Pingouin commun, Enl. 1004, the
adult 1003, in summer plumage, Edw. 358, 2, Briss. VI, VIII,
2, Brit. Zool. pl. H, 1. (The Common Auk.) Black above, white
SSS ee a ee ee ee a
(1) Add 2. cirrhata, Pall. Spic., V, pl. 1; Vieill. Gal. 299.
(2) Alca cristatella, Vieill. Gal. 297, or Starique cristatelle, T. Col. 200, and Pall.,
Spic. Zool., V, pl. 1, of which 2. pygmea is the young;—. psittacula, Pall. Spic.,
V, pl. 2, of which J. tetracula, Ib. pl. 4, is the young.
(3) Alea, Aik, Auk, the name of these birds in the Feroe Islands, and in the north
of Scotland. That of Penguin, first given to the Aptenodytes of the south by the
Dutch, indicates the oily nature of their fat. See Clusius, Exot., 101. It was
Buffon who transferred this name exclusively to the northern Auks.
PALMIPEDES. 407
beneath; a white line on the wing and one or two on the bill.
The throat of the male is black, and there is a white line reach-
ing from the eye to the bill. Its size is that of a duck.
Alca impennis, L.; Le Grand Pingouin, Buff. 1X, xxix; Enl.
367. (The Great Auk.) Nearly as large as a Goose, the colours
very similar to those of the preceding species; but the bill is
entirely black and marked with eight or ten grooves, and there
is a white oval spot between the bill and the eye: its wings are
shorter in proportion than those of,any other species of this
genus. It is said to lay but one large egg, spotted with purple.
APTENODYTES, Forst.
The Penguins are even less capable of flying thanthe Auks. Their
little wings are covered with mere vestiges of feathers, which at the
first glance resemble scales; their feet, placed farther behind than
those of any other bird, only support them by bearing on the tarsus,
which is widened like the sole of the foot of a quadruped, and in
which are found three bones soldered together at their extremities.
They have a small thumb directed inwards, and their three anterior
toes are united by an entire membrane. They are only found in
the Antarctic Seas, never going on shore except to breed. They
can only reach their nests by drawing themselves along on their
bellies. The difference in their bill authorizes their division into
three subgenera.
ApTENODYTES, Cuv.
A long, slender, and pointed bill; the upper mandible a little
arcuated near the end; covered with feathers to one-third of its
length where the nostril is placed, from which a groove extends to
the point.
Apt. patagonica, Gm.; Le Grand Manchot, Enl. 975. (The
Great Penguin.) Is the size of a Goose, slate-coloured above,
white beneath; a black mask surrounded with a lemon-coloured
cravatte. Found in large troops near the straits of Magellan,
and as far as New Guinea. The flesh, though black, is eatable.
CaTARRHACTEs, Briss.
The Gorfus(1) have the bill stout, but little compressed, pointed,
rounded on the back, and its point somewhat arcuated; the groove
(1) Gorfu, a corruption of goir fugel, the name of the Great Auk in the Feroe
Islands. See Clusius, Exot., 367. Catarrhactes is the Greek name of a very dif-
ferent bird, which could fly well, and precipitated itself from a height on its prey.
It was most probably a species of Gull.
408 AVES.
which arises from the nostril terminates obliquely on the inferior
third of its edge.
Apt. chrysocoma, Gm.; Le Gorfou sauteur, Enl. 9845 Vieill.
Gal. 298. (The Tope Gorfu.) As large as a stout
Duck, black above, white beneath, and has a white or yellow
tuft on each side of its occiput. Found in the vicinity of the
Falkland Islands and of New Holland. It sometimes leaps out
of the water while swimming, and jaye its eggs in a hole on the
shore.(1) ;
SpHentscus, Briss.(2)
A compressed and straight bill, irregularly furrowed at base;
end of the upper mandible hooked, that of the lower one truncated;
the nostrils exposed and placed in the middle.
Apt. demersa, Gm.; Sphénisque du Cap, Enl. 382, and 1005.
Black above, white hameach: the bill brown with a white band
on the middle; the male has a white eye-brow, black throat and
a black line on the breast, which continues along each flank. —
Found near the cape where it breeds among the rocks.(3)
FAMILY II.
LONGIPENNES.
This family includes those birds of the high seas, which
from their immense strength of wing are to be met with in
every latitude. They are known by the freedom or nullity
of the thumb, by their very long wings, and by their bill
which is not notched but hooked at the point in the first ge-
nera, and simply pointed in the others. Their inferior larynx
has but one peculiar muscle on each side, their gizzard is mus-
cular and their ceca short.
Proce.Luaria, Lin.
The Petrels have a bill hooked at the end, the extremity of which
(1) Add Apt. catarrhactes, Edw., 49;—A. papua, Sonner. Voy. I, pl. 115, and
Vieill. Gal. 299;—.4. minor, Lath. Syn. III, pl. 103.
(2) Spheniscus, a name given by Mcchring to the Oidemia, and by Brisson to the
Penguins; from =ouv (wedge).
F (3) Aptenod. torquata, Sonner. Voy. 1, 114, appears to be the female of the Apt.
emersa.
PALMIPEDES. 409
a
seems to consist of a distinct piece articulatedewith the remainder.
Their nostrils are united and form a tube laid on the back of the
upper mandible; there is a nail planted in the heel, but no thumb.
Of all the Palmipedes, these remain most constantly at a distance
from land, and when a tempest supervenes, they are forced to seek
shelter on reefs and ships, from which circumstance they derive
their name of Storm Birds: that of Petrel—Little Peter—has been
given to them on account of their habit of walking on the water,
twhich they effect by the aid of their wings. They make their nests
in holes of rocks, and eject on those who attack them an oily fluid
with which their stomach seems to be always filled. The greater
number inhabit the Antarctic Seas.
Those species are more particularly called Perrers—Procet-
LARIA—whose lower mandible is truncated.
Proc. gigantea, Gm.; Petrel géant; Quebranta huessos; Lath.
Syn. III, pl. 100 (The Giant Petrel), is only found in the South
Seas. It is the largest of all the species, surpassing the Goose in
size. Its plumage is blackish, though there are some varieties
in which it is more or less white. :
_ Proc. capensis; Petreldu Cap, &c. Enl. ‘964 (The Cape Petrel),
is the size of a small Duck, white above, spotted black and
white beneath. It is found in the same seas as the preceding
species, and is frequently spoken of by navigators.(1)
Proc. glacialis; Fulmar; Petrel de Saint- Kilda, Enl. 593; Brit.
Zool. pl. M,f.1. (The Fulmar.) White, with an ash-coloured
mantle; bill and feet yellow; size of a stout duck. It breeds
among the cliffs on the coasts of the British islands, and of the
whole north.(2)
Certain small species, with a somewhat shorter bill and
rather longer legs and black plumage, the THaLassrproma,
Vigors, are particularly designated by sailors under the name
of Storm Birds.(3)
The most common, Proc. pelagica, Briss. V1, xiii, 1; Wils.
VII, lix, 634Edw., 90, is scarcely larger than a Lark; stands
high; all brown except the rump which is white, and a white
line on the end of the great wing-coverts. When it seeks shel-
(1) Better known to mariners as the Cape Pigeon. Am. Ed.
(2) Add the Petrel hartie, Temm., Col. 416;—the Petrel bérard, teat 375—
Proc. cinerea, Lath. ;—Proc. desolata, 1d.;—Proc. turtur, Forst.
(3) The “Mother Carey’s Chickens” of the English and American seamen.
- "Am. Ed. *
Vou. I.—3 B F
=
AT AVES.
-#@
ter on a vessclg it may be considered as the forerunner of a
hurricane.(1)
We separate, with Brisson, under the name of
PUFFINUS,
Or Puffins, those in which the end of the lower mandible is
curved downwards along with that of the upper one, and in which
the nostrils, although tubular, do not open by one common orifice,
but by two distinct holes. Their bill also is proportionally longer.
Proc. puffinus, Gm.; Puffin cendré, Enl. 962. Cinereous
above; whitish beneath; wings and tail blackish: the young is
darker. Its size is that of a Crow. Very common in almost
every sea.(2) %,
There is a species, long confounded with the preceding one,
which is not larger than a Woodcock, and which breeds in im-
mense numbers on thenorthern coasts of Scotland and the neigh-
bouring islands, whose inhabitants salt them for their winter
provision. It is black above and white underneath, the Procel-
laria Anglorum, Tem. Edw., 359. .
Navigators occasionally speak of some birds of the Antarctic seas”
by the name of Petrels, which may constitute two separate genera.
They are the
PELEcANOIDES, Lacep.—Hatoproma, Illig.,
Which have the bill and figure of the Petrels, with a dilatable
throat like that of the Cormorant, and are without the vestige of a
thumb like the Albatross. Such is Procellaria urinatrix, Gm.
PacuyrtiLa, Illig.
Or the Prions, Lacep., which, similar in other respects to the
Petrels, have separate nostrils like a Puffin, the bill widened at
base, and its edges furnished internally with very delicate, vertical
and pointed laminz, analogous to those of Ducks. Such are the
Blue Petrels, Proc. vittata and cerulea, Forst.
(1) The fig. Enl. 933 is a closely allied species of the South Seas (Proc. ocean-
ica, Forst.)—Add Proc. Leachity Tem. Act. de phil., VI, pl. 9, f. 1;—Proc. Wil-
sonii, Ch. Bonap.; Wils. VU, lxx, 6, Id. Act. de phil. VI, pl. 9, f. 2;—Proc. fre-
gatta, Lath., Rochef., Antill., p. 152;—Proc. marina, Vieill. Gal. 292.
(2)eAdd Proce. obscura, Vieill, Gal. 301;—and Proc. pacifica, or Sfuliginosa;
White, 252, which perhaps does not differ from the Proc. xquinoctials, Edw., 89.
PALMIFEDES. 411
Ps :
DiomepgEA, Lin.(1)
The Albatross is the most massive of all aquatic birds. The large,
strong and trenchant bill is marked with sutures, and is terminated
®by a stout hook, which seems to be articulated with it. The nostrils
resemble short rolls laid on the sides of the beak; there is no thumb,
not even the small nail that is observed in the Petrels. They inhabit
the South seas, and feed on Mollusca, &c.
D. exulans, L., Enl. 2373; Vieill. Gal. 293, is the species best
known to navigators, who, on account of its size, white plumage,
and black wings, and because it is particularly common beyond,
the tropic of Capricorn, have called it Zhe Cape Sheep. The
English also style it the Man of War Bird, &c. It is the great
enemy of the Flying-fish. It constructs a high nest of earth,
and lays a number of eggs, which are considered good food.
The cry of this bird is said to be as powerful as that of the
@ Ass.(2)
Various Albatrosses, more or less brown or blackish, have
been observed; but whether they form varieties of the exulans,
or are distinct species, has not yet been ascertained.(3)
Larus, Lin.(4)
The Gulls have a compressed, elongated, pointed bill, the superior
mandible arcuated near the end, and the inferior forming a salient
angle beneath. The nostrils, placed near its middle, are long, nar-
row, andsbored quite through; their tail is full, their legs tolerably
long, and their thumb short. They are cowardly and voracious
(1) Diomedea, the ancient name of certain birds of the Island of Diomedes, near
Tarentum, which were said to receive the Greeks favourably, and to attack the
barbarians. As to the word Albatross, I find that the early Portuguese navigators
called the Boobies and other oceanic birds Alcatros, or Mcatrass. Dampier applied
this name to the present genus, Grew changed it into Albitross, and Edwards into
Albatross.
(2) The cry of the Albatross has béen quite as much exaggerated as its size. I
have repeatedly heard it when within a hundred yards of the bird, and from various
individuals, some of large size, and consequently adults—it is a piping kind of
clang, deeper than that of a Goose, but something like it. Im. Ed.
(3) Such is the Diom. spadicea—Add D. brachyura, Tem. Enl. 963;—D. melano-
phris, T. Col. 456;—D. chlororhynchos, Lath. V, ae xciv, Gol. 468; —D. Suliginosa,
Col. 469.
(4) Larus, the Greek name of these birds, Gavia in latin, whence Gabian in
Provence; they are called Mawves, or Mouettes, in French, from their German
name Maeve,
412 AVES.
birds, which swarm along the sea coasts, feeding on fish, the flesh
of dead bodies, kc. ‘They breed in the sand, or in clefts of rock,
laying but few eggs. When they fly into the country, bad weather
may be expected. Several species are found on the coast of France,
and, as their plumage is greatly changed by age, the number has,
been still more increased. When young, they are usually spotted
with grey. Buffon calls
GoE.anps,(1)
The large species whose size exceeds that of a Duck. One of the
largest is,
Lar. marinus and nevius, Gm.; Goéland a manteau noir, Enl.
990 and 266 (The Great Black-backed Gull), which, at first
spotted with white and grey, afterwards becomes all white, with
a black mantle; the beak is yellow, with a red spot underneath;
feet, reddish.
Lar. glaucus, Gm.; Burgomestre; Naum. Ed. I, 36, is neanky
as large, and only differs from it in the mantle, which is a light
ash colour. Its young also are spotted.(2) The
Mavves or Movetrres
Are the smallest species.
Lar. fuscus, L.; Lar. flavipes, Meyer, Frisch, 218; Masten
Eid. J; /f.,.5.15)..0- (The Silver Gull.) Is all white; the mantle
excepted, which is black; the feet are yellow.
Lar. eburneus, Gm.; Mouette blanche, Enl. 994. (The Ivory
ull.) All white, with black feet. * From Spitzberg and Green-
land: sometimes wanders into Europe.
Lar. cyanorhynchus, Meyer; Mouette a pieds bleus, Enl. 977,
Briss. VI, xvi, 2. (The Common Gull.) When old, of a beauti-
ful white, with a light ash coloured mantle; the primary quills
of the wing partly black, with white spots at their tips, the feet
and bill, lead coloured. Feeds on shell fish.
Lar. ridibundus, L.; L. hybernus, and L. erythropus, Gm.; La
M. a pieds rouges, Enl. 969 and 970; Briss. VI, xvii, 1. Is very
similar to the preceding, except that when young the tip of the
tail is black, and that there are some black and brown on the
wing: in spring the head of the adult becomes brown, and re-
(1) Goéland, a corruption of Gull, Gull-ent.
(2) M. Temminck distinguishes the Lar. argentatus, Lath. En]. 253.—Add the
Goéland leucomele, Vieill. 61, and the Goél. @ téte noire du Bengale. [Add L. ca-
pistratus, Temm.;—L. canus, L. Enl. 977;—L. argentatus, Brunn. Enl. 253;—L.-
argentatoides, Brehm. Am.Ed.}
*
PALMIPEDES. ’ 413
4
mains so during the summer—Enl. 9703; the feet and beak are
more or less red. It has been called, from its note, the Laugh-
ing Gull.(1) .
Lar. tridactylus, and Lar. rissa, Gm.; La M. a trois doigts,
Briss. VI, xvi, 1, and xvii, 2, is also very similar to the preced-
ing species, but may be distinguished by its very short and im-
perfect thumb. When young it is more or less spotted with
black or brown, Enl. 387.
Lesrnis, Illig.(2)—Srercorarivs, Briss.—Lazpes, Buff.
These birds have very properly been separated from the Common
Gulls. Their membranous nostrils, larger than those of the latter,
open nearey to the point and edge of the beak; their tail is pointed.
They pursue the small Gulls with singular ferocity to rob them of
their food, and, Atal is said, to devour their excrement. Hence their
name. AJ
Lar. parasiticus, Gm.; Labbe a longue queue, Enl. 762; Edw.
148. (The Arctic Gull.) A deep brown above, white beneath;
the two middle quills of the tail are double the length of the
others. Itis very rare in France. When young it is all brown,
and is then the Zar. crepidatus, Gm.; Enl. 991, or better, Edw.
149.(3)
The arctic regions produce a species the size of a Goéland,
which is brown, with the base of the wing-quills white, Lar. ca-
taractes, Gm., Brit. Zool. pl. L., 6; and another the size of a
Mouette, brown above, white underneath, with a brown collar
on the breast, the Lestris pomarinus, Tem.(4)
Sterna, Lin.(5)
The Terns, or Sea-Swallows, derive this latter appellation from
their excessively long and pointed wings and from their forked tail,
(1) Add Lar. atricilla, Pall. Noy. Com. Petr., XV, xxii, 2; Catesb., I, 89; Wils.
1X, Ixxiv, 4, by the name of ridibundus;—Lar. leucopterus;—L. cirrhocephalus,
Vieill. Gal. 289, or poliocephalus, Licht.;—L. leucophthalmus, Licht. Col. 366;—L.
Sabini, Leach;—L. minutus, Falk. Voy. WI, xxiv;—JL. melanurus, T. Col. 459,
and Tiles, Voy. de Krusenst., pl. lvii..
(2) Anspis, thief, the name of these birds among the Swedish fishermen. Vieil-
lot has changed these names to STERcoreEvs.
(3) This is clearly a mistake. The LZ. crepidatus, Brehm. is identical with the L.
Buffonii, Boie, Enl. 762. Am. Ear
(4) I cannot affirm the identity of the Lestris catarractes, Freycin., 38, and of
the Stercoreus pomarinus, Vieill. Gal. 288, with the above species.
(5) Stern, or Tern, is their English name, latinized as above by Turner, and ad-
mitted by Gesner.
414 : AVES.
which render their flight and carriage analogous to those of Swal-
lows. Their bill is pointed, compressed, and straight, without
curve or projection; the nostrils, placed near its base, are oblong
and pierced quite through; the membranes which unite their toes
are deeply emarginate, consequently they swim but seldom. They
fly over the waves in every direction and with great rapidity, uttering
loud cries, and skilfully raising from the surface of the water the
Mollusca and small Fish on which they feed. They also penetrate to
the lakes and rivers of the interior. The most common species that
is found on the fresh waters of France in the spring is,
St. hirundo, L.; Le Pierre-Garin, &c., Enl. 9873; Frisch, 2195
Naum. 37, f. 52; Wils. VII, Ix, 1. (The Common Tern.) In
the adult state, white with a light ash-coloured mantle, black
calotte, red feet, and red bill with a black point. It is about
one foot long, and two feet from the tip of onggving to that of the
other. @
St. minuta, L.; Petit Hir. de mer,’ Enl. 996; Wils. V, lx, 23
Naum. 38, f. 55. (The Smail Tern.) Only differs from the pre-
ceding by being a third smaller, and having a white forehead.
St. cantiaca, Albin. II, lxxxviiis Hir. de mer a bec noir, is larger
than §. hirundos; the beak is black, with a yellow point: the St.
striata, Gm., Lath. VI, pl. 98, is its young.
St. caspia, Pall. Sparm., Mus. Carls., Ixiis Meyer, Ois. d’Al-
lem., II, vi; Sav., Egypt., Ois. pl. ix, F. 1. (The Caspian Tern.)
The largest of the European species;*white, with an ash colour-
ed mantle; occiput, black and white mixed; red beak and black
feet.
St. nigra, fissipes and neevia; Hir. de mer noire, Enl. 338 and
924; Frisch, 220. (The Black Tern.) The tail less forked;
when young, its mantle is spotted with blacks the adult is al-
most entirely of a blackish ash colour.
Among the species foreign to Europe, we should notice the
Hir. de mer a aigrettes, St. inca, Less. and Garn., from the coast |
of Peru, Voy. de la Coq., Zool. pl. 47, which is black; red bill
and feet; a band on the cheek, and the feathers of the ear pen-
dent and white. (1)
(1) Add of Europ. Spec.: S¢. Dougalii, Montag.; Vieill., Gal. 290;—St¢. anglica,
Id., or aranea, Wils. VIU, Ixxii, 6;—S¢. arctica, Tem.;—St. leucopareia, Natter. ;—
St. leucoptera, Tem., Schinz., Ois., de Suisse, frontisp.
Of spec. foreign to Europe: St. cayana, Enl. 998;—S¢t. melanauchen; Tem. Col.
427;—St. melanogaster, 1d, Col. 434;—St. fuliginosa, Wils.
PALMIPEDES. . £ha
We may also distinguish from the other Terns,
Tue Noppigs,
Whose tail is not forked, and is nearly as long as the wings.
There is a slight projection under their bill, the first indication of
that in the Mauves. But one species is known, :
St. stohida, L.; Noddi noir, Enl.997 (The Noddy), which is
a blackish brown, top of the head whitish. Celebrated for the
blundering manner in which it throws itself on vessels.(1)
Ruyncuops, Lin.
The Skimmers resemble.the Terns in their small feet, long wings
and forked tail, but are distinguished from all birds by their extra-
ordinary bill, the upper mandible of which is shorter than the other,
both being flattened so as to form simple blades, which meet without
clasping. Their only mode of feeding is by skimming their aliment
from the surface of the water with the lower mandible, which they
effect while on the wing. One species,
Rhym. nigra, L., Enl. 357 (The Black Skimmer), is white,
with a black mantle .and calotte; a white band on the wing;
outside of the external quills of the tail white; bill and feet red;
hardly as large as a Pigeon. From the vicinity of the An-
tilles.(2)
FAMILY II.
. TOTIPALMAT.
The birds of this family are remarkable for having the thumb
united with the toes by one single membrane, a mode of or-
ganization that renders their feet complete oars, notwithstand-
ing which, they perch upon trees, being almost the only Palmi-
pedes who do so. They all fly well and have short feet.
Linneus separated them into three genera, the first of which
it was necessary to subdivide.
¥
(1) The St. philippensis, (Sonner. Voy. I, pl. Ixxxv,) does not appear to differ
from the stolida;—the St. fuscata, Lath., Briss., VI, pl. xxi, 1, also seems to be-
long to this subgenus, as wellas the St. tenuirostris, T. Col. 202.
(2) Add Rhyn. flavirostris, Vicill. Gal. 291;—Rh. cinerascens, Spix, CH; Re."
brevirostris, Id. CII.
ANG: AVES.
vi
Prvecanus, Lin.
The Pelicans comprise all those in which the base of the bill is
found to have some part destitute of feathers. Their nostrils are
fissures, the apertures of which are scarcely perceptible. The skin
of their throat is more or less extensible, and their tongue very
gmall. Their thin gizzard, with their other stomachs, forms a large
sac. Their ceca are moderate or small.
Prtecanus, Illig—Onocroratus, Briss.(1)
The bill of the True Pelicans is very remarkable for its extreme
length, its straight, very broad and horizontally flattened form, for
the hook which terminates it, and for the lower mandible whose
flexible branches sustain a naked membrane, susceptible of being
dilated into a large sac. Two grooves extend along its length, in
which the nostrils are concealed. The circumference of the eye is
naked, and the tail round.
P. onocrotalus, L.; Enl. 873 Edw. 923 Frisch, 186. (The Com-
mon Pelican.) As large as a Swan, entirely white, slightly tinged
with flesh colour; the hook of the bill of a cherry-red; is more
or less disseminated throughout the eastern continent, breeds
in marshes, and feeds exclusively on living Fish. It is said to
transport both food and water in its sac. The different changes
this bird undergoes from age are not sufficiently ascertained to
render certain the species of its genus that are enumerated. (2)
. *
Puatacrocorax, Briss.—Carso, Meyer.—Hatievs, Illig.
The Cormorants(3) have an elongated and compressed beak, the
(1) Pelecanus and Onocrotalus are two Greek names of this bird Latinized.
(2) I see no difference between the Common Pelican and the Pelec. roseus, Son-
ner. Prem. Voy. pl. liv. As to the Pelec. manillensis, 1d. LIM, Sonnerat himself
says he thinks it is the young of the voseus. Neither can I find any difference be-
tween the fuscus, Edw. 93, and that of the PI. Enl. 965, called rosews, but which is
much more like the manillensis. Temminck thinks this figure represents the young
of the common species. TNWe philippensis, Briss., VI, pl. lvi, is the, same specimen
from which the P]. Enl. 965 was taken, so that both are the young of the onocrota-
lus. That of pl. 957, also called fuscus, appears fo be really a species identical
with that of Vieill. Gal. 276.—Add the Pel. 2 lunettes (P. perspicillatus, T.) Col.
276.
(3) Cormorant, from Cormoran, a cowruption of Corbeau marin, on account of its
black colour. Itis in fact the Aquatic Crow of Aristotle. Phalacrocorax (Bald
_ Crow) is the Greek name of this bird, indicated by Pliny, but is not employed by
Aristotle. That of Carbo is only used by Albert, who perhaps derived it from the
German name Scharb. To all these names Vieillot has added that of Hydrocorax,
Gal. 275.
’
a
4
PALMIPEDES. 417
end of the upper mandible hooked, and that of the lower one truncat-
ed; the tongue is very small, and the skin of the throat less dilatable;
the nostrils resemble a’small unpierced line, and the nail of the mid-
dle toe is notched like a saw.
The Trur Cormorants have a round tail composed of fourteen
quills.
Pel. carbo, L., Enl. 9273 the young, Frisch, 187 and 1885 and
Brit. Zool. pl. L, 1. (The Cormorant.) Black-brown, undulated
with jet black on the back, and mixed with white near the end
of the bill and front of the necks; circumference of the throat
and the cheeks, white, in the male, which also has a tuft on the
occiput. Its size is that of the Goose. It breeds in holes among
the rocks or upon trees, and lays three or four eggs.
Pel. graculus, Gm.; Enl. 974, the young. (The Little Cor-
morant.) Is somewhat smaller, of a deeper black and more
bronzed; no white on the front of the neck; the feathers on the
back more pointed; not so common as the preceding species.(1)
Tacuyreress, Vieill.
The Frigate Birds differ from the Cormorants in their forked tail
and short feet, the membranes of which are deeply emarginated; in
an excessive length of wing, and in a bill both of whose mandibles
are curved at the point. So powerful are their wings, that they fly
to an immense distance from all land, principally between the tro-
pics, darting upon the Flying Fish and striking the Boobies to make
them disgorge their prey.
One species only is well known, the Pelecanus aquilus, L., Enl.
961, Vieill., Gal., pl. 274, whose plumage is black, the hide part
of the throat and neck more or less varied with white, and the
bill red. Its wings, when expanded, are said to measure from
ten to twelve feet.(2)
Sura, Briss.—Dysrorus, Illig.
The Boobies(3) have a straight, slightly compressed, pointed
bill, the point slightly arcuated; its edges are serrated, the teeth
(1) Add the Cormoran longup., Tem. (Pel. cristatus, Olafs.), Voy. en Isl., tr.
fr. pl. xliv, Col. $22, and Vieill. Gal. 27 6;—Pel. africanus, Lath.; Sparm. Mus.
Carls., I, 10;—Pelec. pygmezus, Pall., Voy., App., pl. 1.
(2) Naturalists have, somewhat gratuitously, raised to the rank of species the
Pelec. minor, Edw. 309, and lewcocephalus, Buff. Ois., VII, pl. xxx, and perhaps
even the P. Palmerstoni, Lath.
(3) Suda is the name of the common species at the Feroe Islands, Hoyer, Clu-
sius, Exot. 36. Booby, their English name, from their stupidity, ut sup.
Vous 1.—3 €
418 . AVES.
inclining backwards; the nostrils are prolonged by a line which ex-
tends to near the point. The throat is naked as well as the circum-
ference of the eye, the former not being susceptible of much dilata-
tion; the nail of the middle toe is serrated, the wings much smaller
than those of the Frigates, and the tail somewhat wedge-shaped.
They are called Boobies on account of the excessive stupidity with
which they permit themselves to be attacked by men and birds, the
Frigate Birds particularly, which, as already stated, force them to
yield up the fish they have captured. The most common is,
Pelecanus bassanus, L.; Enl. 2783 Vieill.; Brit. Zool. pl. L.;
Naum. Sup. 56, f. 106. (The Common Booby). White; the pri-
mary quills of the wings and the feet, black; the beak greenish;
nearly as large as the Goose. It is called the Bassan Booby
from a small island in the gulf of Edinburgh, where it is very
abundant although it lays but a single egg. It is frequently seen
on the coast of France during the winter. The young is brown
spotted with white, En]. 986. The remaining species are not
yet sufficiently ascertained.(1)
Piorus, Lin.(2)
The Darters have the body and feet very similar to those of a Cor-
morant; a long neck and small head, with a straight, slender, pointed
beak, whose edges are denticulated: the eyes and nudity of the face,
as in the Pelicans; their habits also are similar, perching on trees.
Several species or varieties are known from the hot climates
of both continents. They are not larger than the Duck, but
they have a longer neck.(3) [See pp. XXVIJ of Am. Ed. |
PuztTon, Lin.
The Tropic Birds are known by two very long and narrow feathers
that flow from their tail, which at a distance resemble so many
straws. There is no naked part about the head. Their bill is
straight, pointed, denticulated, and tolerably strong; their feet short
and their wings long: their powers of flight are consequently great,
and as they rarely quit the torrid zone, their presence announces to
the mariner his vicinity to the tropics. On land, where they seldom
resort except to breed, they perch on trees.
(1) Add the Fou brun (Pelec. sula, L.), Enl. 973, Catesb. I, 875 Vieill. Gal. 277.
[See App. XXVI of Am. Ed.)
(2) Plotus, or plautus, signifies, in Latin, flat-foot. Klein has employed it for
one of his families of the Palmipedes. Linnzus applied it to the Darters.
(3) Plot. melanogaster, Enl. 959 and 960; Vieill. Gal. 278; Wils. TX, Ixxiy, 1, 2;—
Enl. 107;—Lath. Syn. VI, pl. 96:— Anhinga Levaillant, T. Col. 380.
PALMIPEDES. 419
A few species or varieties only are known, whose white plu-
mage is more or less varied with blackish, and which are not
larger than Pigeons.(1)
FAMILY IV.
LAMELLIROSTRES.
In this family we find a thick bill, invested with a. soft
skin rather than with true horn; its edges are furnished with
lamine or little teeth; the tongue is broad and fleshy, the
edges notched. The wings are of a moderate length, They
pass more of their time on fresh waters than at sea. The tra-
chea of the male, in the greater number, is inflated near its
bifurcation into capsules of various forms. ‘The gizzard is
large and very muscular, the ceca long. The great genus,
Anas, Lin.
Comprises those Palmipedes, the edges of whose large and broad
bill are furnished with a range of thin salient Jaminz, placed
transversely, which appear destined to allow the water to pass off
when the bird has seized its prey. They are divided into three sub-
genera, whose limits, however, are not very precise.
Cyenus, Meyer.
The bill of the Swans is of an equal breadth throughout, higher
at base than it is wide; the nostrils about the middle of its length;
the neck is very long. They are the largest birds of the genus, and
feed chiefly on the seeds and roots of aquatic plants. Their intes-
tines and ceca in particular are consequently very long. There is
no inflation of the trachea. ‘Two species are found in Europe,
Anas olor, Gm.; Cigne @ bec rouge, Ent. 913. (The Red-billed
or Domestic Swan.) Beak red, edged with black, surmounted
at base by a rounded protuberance; the plumage snow-white.
When young, the beak is lead-coloured and the plumage, grey.
This is the species, when domesticated, that forms the orna-
ment of our ponds and grounds. Its elegance of form, graceful
movements, and snow-white plumage have rendered it the em-
blem of innocence and beauty. It feeds both on fish and vege-
(1) Pheet. xtherius, Enl. 369: and 998;—Ph. phenicurus, Enl. 979, Vieill. Gal.
pl. 279. ‘
420 AVES.
tables, flies extremely high and with great swiftness, using its
wings, which are a powerful weapon, in striking its enemies
when attacked. It breeds among the reeds in ponds, and lays
six or eight eggs of a greenish-grey. _
An. cygnus, Gm.; Edw. 150; Brit. Zool. pl. 2; Naum., Ed.
I, t. 13, f. 27. (The Black-billed Swan.) Bill black with a yel-
low base; the body white tinged with a yellowish grey—when
young, all grey. This species, which is very similar externally
to the preceding one, differs essentially from it internally, in
the trachea, which is bent over and penetrates to a considerable
extent in a cavity of the keel of the sternum, a peculiarity com-
mon to both sexes which does not exist in the domestic Swan.
The latter is also erroneously called the Wild Swan, and the
Singing Swan. The tale of its singing on the approach of death
is a fable.
An. plutonia, Sh.; A. atrata, Lath.; Cigne noir; Nat. Misc. pl.
108; Vieill. Gal. 286 (The Black Swan), has been lately dis-
covered in New Holland; it is the size of the common species,
but its carriage is less graceful and elegant; it is all black, the
primary quills excepted, which are white, and the bill with
the naked skin on its base, which is red.(1)
It is impossible to separate from the Swans, certain species, much
less elegant it is true, but which have the same kind of bill. Se-
veral have a tubercle at its base. The most common,
An. cygnoides, L.; Oie de Guinée, Enl. 347, is bred in poultry
yards, where it mixes with the Geese. It is a whitish grey with
a brown grey mantle; the male is recognised by a feathered ap-
pendage which hangs under his bill, and by a large tubercle
which surmounts its base. Another species, much rarer, called
by its first describers
An. gambensis, L.; Oiede Gambie; Lath. Syn. III, p. 2, pl. 102,
is remarkable for its size, long legs, tubercle on the forehead,
and for two large spurs with which its wing is armed. Its plu-
mage is a purple black, the throat, front, and under part of the
body and wings, white.(2)
(1) The Ote @ cravatte (An. canadensis, L.) Enl. 346, Wils., LXVII, 4, appears
to me to be atrue Swan.
(2) Buff. has confounded this Goose’ with a variety of the Oie d’Hgypte, Enl.
982. The figure of Latham is defective, inasmuch as it shows but one spur; the
helmet also is not salient.
This is also the place for the Oie bronzée 4 créte sur le bec, Ipecati apoa, of Marcgr.
(An. melanotos), Enl. 937, Vieill. 285. .
PALMIPEDES. 421
.
—
Anser, Briss.
‘Geese have a moderate or short bill, narrower before than be-
hind, and higher than wide at base; their legs, being longer than
those of the Ducks, and placed nearer the centre of the body, increase
their facility in walking. Several of them feed on sceds and plants.
There is no inflation at the root of the trachea, nor is Ho any
curve in that organ in any of the species known.
Gerse, properly so called,
Have a beak as long as their head; the ends of the lamellz extend
to its edges, appearing like pointed teeth.
An. anser, L. (The Common Goose), which has acquired all
sorts of colours in our poultry-yards, originates from a wild
species that is grey, with a brown mantle undulated with grey
and an orange-coloured beak, the Ans. cinereus, Meyer; Albin.,
90; Naum. Ed. I, pl. 41, f. 60. “There is another species, how-
ever, which arrives late in the fall, and which may be known by
. its wings being longer than the tail, and by some white spots on
the forehead; its bill is orange with a black base and point.
Ans. segetum, Meyer, Enl. 9853 Frisch, 155; Naum., I, C. 42,
fe OY:
Anas albifrons, Gm. 3 LI’ Oie rieuse; Edw. 153; Naum. Ed. I,
43, f. 62. (The White-fronted Goose.) Is sometimes seen in
France during the winter. It is grey, with a black belly and
white forehead. .
The north of both continents produces a fourth species.
An. hyperborea, Gm.3 Wils. VIII, Ixviii, 5; and the young
ixix, 5; Naum. Ed. I, Sup. pl. 23, f. 46. (The Snow-Goose. )
White; feet and bill red; tips of the wing-quills black. It
sometimes wanders into the temperate parts of Europe during
the prevalence of heavy gales in winter. The young bird is
more or less grey. It is the Mn. cwrulescens, Gm., Edw. 152.
The
BrrnaciEs(1)
Are distinguished from the Common Geese by a shorter and
slenderer bill, the edges of which conceal the extremities of the
lamine.
France is sometimes visited during the winter by that species
from the north of Europe, which is so celebrated by the fabu-
ap RE A PE TET em
(1) Bernacle, Scotch name of the 2. leucopsis.
422 AVES.
lous story of its growing on trees like fruit—/nas erythropus,
Gm., or better An. leucopsis, Bechst. En]. 885; Frisch, 1895
Naum. I, c. 39, f. 77. Its mantle is ash-coloured, its neck
black; cheeks, throat, belly and forehead white; the bill black
and the feet grey.
An. bernicla, Gm.; Le Cravant,(1) Enl. 3423; and better Frisch,
156; Naum. I, c. 39, f. 78; Wils., VIII, lxxii, 1 (The Brant),
is from the same country. The head, neck, and quills of the
wings are black, the mantle a brown-grey; a spot on each side
of the upper part of the neck, and the under part of the tail,
white; the bill black and feet brown.
An. egyptiaca, Gm.; Le Bernache armée; Oied’ Egypte, Sc. Sc.
Enl. 379, 982, 983 (The Egyptian Goose), remarkable for
the lustre of its colours and the small spur attached to its wing,
also belongs to this subgenus; it is sometimes domesticated,
but always retains a propensity to return to its wild state. It
is the Chenalopex or Fox Goose, held in veneration among the
ancient Egyptians on are ante of its attachment to its young.(2)
The
CrreEopsis, Lath.
Is a New Holland bird very similar to the Bernacles, with a still
smaller bill, the membrane of which is much broader, and extends
a little upon the forehead.
Cer. cinereus, Lath., Col. 2063 Vieill. Gal. 284, is the only one
known. It is the size of a Goose, and of a grey colour.
Lvs Meyer.
Ducks, te Ne so called, have the bill broader at base than it
is high, and wider at the end than towards the head; the nostrils
nearer to its back and base. ‘Their legs being shorter than those of
Geese, and placed farther back, renders walking more difficult to
them than to the latter. Their neck also is shorter; the trachea is
inflated at its bifurcation into cartilaginous capsules, the left of
which is usually the largest.
The species of the first division, or those whose thumb is bor-
(1) Cravant, a corruption of grau ent, grey Duck.
(2) Geoff. St. Hillaire, Ménag. du Mus. d’Hist. Nat. art. Oie d’Egypte.
Add the An. magellanica, Enl. 1006;—.4n. antarctica, which is closely allied to
it, Mus., Carls., 37, and Voy. de la Cog. Zool. 50;—.4n. leucoptera, Brown., Ill.
40;—A. rujicollis and torquata, Pall. Spicil., VI, pl. iv, which is said to penetrate
as faras Germany;—/n. coromandelica, Enl. 949, 950;—An. madagascariensis,
Enl. 770.
PALMIPEDES, 423
dered with a membrane, have a larger head, a shorter neck, the
feet placed farther back, smaller wings, a stifier tail, more com-
pressed tarsi, longer toes, and the membrane of the feet more entire.
»They walk with more difficulty, feed more exclusively on fish and
‘insects, and dive more frequently.(1) Among them we may distin-
© guish’ the
fe Ormemia, Fleming.
_ By the breadth and inflation of the bill.
Anas nigra, L.; La Macreuse commune, Enl. 9723; Naum.
Supp. 14, f. 28 and 29; Brit. Zool. pl. 2, 6; Wils. VIII, Ixxii,
2 (The Scoter), is all black, greyish when young; the bill
very broad with a protuberance on its base. It is found in
. large flocks on the coast of France, where it feeds chiefly on
muscles. The An. cineraceus, Naum., I, C. 60, f. 91, 92, is the
young female.
An. fusca, L.; La double Macreuse, Enl. 9565 Frisch, 165;
Naum. I, c. Shipp. f. 15 and 16; Wils. LX XII, 3 (The Hebvet
Duck), differs in its superior size, a white spot on the wing,
and a white streak under the eye. There is a circular, vertically
flattened inflation in the middle of its trachea.
An. perspicillata, L.; Enl. 995; Edw. 1553; Wils. VIII, Ixvii,
1. (The Black Duck.) Some white on the occiput and behind
the neck; the naked and yellow skin of the base of its bill also
surrounds the eyes.
New Holland produces a speckled species, remarkable for a
large fleshy appendage that hangs under its bill, 4n. lobata,
Nat. Misc., VIII, pl. 255,’and Col. 406.(2)
We may also separate
Cuanecuta, Leach.
In which the bill is short and narrower towards the end; and
place first on the list, those species the middle quills of whose tail
are the longest, which renders it pointed. Such are
An. glacialis, L., Enl. 1008; Edw. 280; Naum. 52, f. 76; Wils.
VIII, Ixx, 1, 2; the young male, Enl. 999; Naum. 52, f. 76, B; the
adult in wedding livery, Edw. 156. (The Long-tailed Duck.)
(1) This division constitutes the genus Puaryrus, Brehm.; or HypRropares,
Tem.; or Funreuta, Ch. Bonap.
(2) Add the Anas mersa and leucocephala, Voy. de Pall. fr. tr., pl. v and wi;
Naum. Sup. 40, f. 79, 80;—the dn. brachyptera, Lath., Voy. de Freycin. pl.
XXXix.
424 AVES.
White; a fawn-coloured spot on the cheek and side of the neck;
breast, back, tail, and partof the wing black. Ofall the European
Ducks, this has the shortest bill. Its trachea, ossified near the
root, has on one side five square membranous spaces resembling.
so many panes of glass, above which it is inflated set, an Os-
seous capsule. aa
An. histrionica, L.; Enl. 7983; Wils. VIII, xxii, 4; Edw. 993
Naum. I,.c. 52, 1. 115 and the female, 4n. minuta, 799; Edw.
197. (The Haniuin Duck.) Ash-coloured; the male fantasti-
cally streaked with white; eyebrows and flanks red. Each of the
preceding species is occasionally seen in France, but at very
long intervals.
Then comes the common species with a round or square tail. °
An. clangula, L.; Le Garrot, Enl. 802; the young, An. glau-
cion, L.(1) Frisch, 181, 182; Naum. I, c. 55, f. 81, 823 Wils.
VIII, Ixvii, 6. (The Golden-eye.) White; head, back, and tail,
black; a small spot before the eye and two bands on the wing,
‘white; the bill blackish. The female is ash-coloured with a
brown head. The middle of the trachea is considerably dilated,
the two arches of the sac, however, preserving their flexibility.
It becomes singularly widened near the bifurcation.(2)
SomaTeERiA, Leach.
The Eiders have a bill longer than that of the preceding sub-
genus, and ascending more on the forehead where it is emarginated
by an angle of feathers, but still narrower before than at base.
An. molissima; L’ Eider, Enl. 208, 209, the adults of both
sexes, Mus. Carls. 39; the three*year old young male, Edw. 98;
Wils. VIII, xci, 2, 3; Naum. 64, f. 79, 80. (The Eider Duck.)
Whitishs; calotte, belly and tail, black; the female grey, speckled
- with brown. Celebrated for furnishing us with that valuable
article called eider down. (3)
After all these distinctions there remains the
Futicuia, Leach,
Whose beak is broad and flat, but presents no other peculiarity.
Several species are found in France, in all of which the trachea ter-
SRP ee Pee Se Ln en Ng eR TE Onc ed ON Cn
(1). Glaueion, the Greek name of a Duck, so called on account of the colour of
its eyes.
(2) Add An. albeola, Enl. 948, the same as An. bucephala, Catesb., 1, 95;—An.
brachyptera, Voy. de Freycin. pl. xxxix.
(3) Add An. spectabilis, Sparm. Mus. Carls, U, pl. xxxvi; Edw. 154; Naum. 40,
f. 58, 59.
4
|
}
mein
PALMIPEDES. 425
minates in nearly similar inflations, forming on the left a partially
membranous capsule, supported bya frame and ramifications of bone.
| An. ferina, L.; A. rufa, Gm.; Millouin commun, Enl..803;
Naum. I, c. 58, f. 87, 88; Wils. VIII, xc, 6. (The Red-head. )
Ash-coloured, finely striated with blackish; head and top of the
neck red; lower part of the neck and the breast brown; the bill
a light lead-colour. Sometimes breeds among the reeds in the
ponds of France. Its trachea is of an equal diameter.
An. rufina, L.; Mill. huppé, Enl. $28; Naum. I, c. 32, f. 63,
64. (The Pochard Duck.) Black; the back brown; some white
on the wing and flank; the head red, the feathers on its summit
turned up into a tuft; red bill. From the borders of the Caspian
sea, and occasionally driven by the winds as far as France.
There are two successive inflations of its trachea, besides the
capsule of the bifurcation.
An. marila, L., Enl. 1002; Brit. Zool. 2; Wils. VIII, Ixix, 3;
Naum. 59,f. 90; the female, in. freenata, Mus. Carls. 38; Naum.
59, f. 90, B. (The Scaup Duck.) Ash-coloured, striated with
black; head and neck black, changing to green; black rump and
tail; the belly and spots on the wing ‘white; the bill lead-
coloured; found in small flocks in France during the winter, but
is from the remote parts of Siberia. Its trachea is very wide
at the commencement, and then narrow.
An. nyroca, Gm.3 A. leucophtalmos, Bechst.; the female, 4.
africana, Gm.; Le Petit Millowin, Enl. 1000; Naum. I, c. 39, f.
89. _ Brown; head and neck red; a white spot ‘on the wing; belly
whitish; a brown collar on the bottom of the male’s neck.
Breeds in the north of Germany, and is rarely seen in France.
Its trachea is very much inflated about the middle.
An. fuligula, L.; Le Morillon, Eni. 1001; Frisch, 1713 Naum.
I, c. 56, f. 83, 84; Wils. VIII, Ixvii, 5; the young, Enl. 1007;
‘ln. scandiaca, Frisch, V1, xxxvi, 1, 2. (The Tufted Duck.)
Black; the feathers of the occiput lengthened out into a tuft; the
belly and a spot on the wing white; bill lead-coloured. Found
in France every winter, where it proceeds from the North.(1)
The Ducks of the second division,(2) whose thumb is not border-
ed with a membrane, have a more slender head, narrower feet,
(1) Add of species foreign to Europe: An. spinosa, Enl. 967,968;—An., Stelleri,
Pall. Spic., VI, pl. v;—A4n. labradora, Wils. VII, |xix, 6;—-An. valisneria, Ib. LXX,
5;—n. rubida, Ib. LUXXI, 5, 6, of which, on account of its pointed tail, M, Ch.
Bonap. makes his genus Oxyura.
(2) It is to this second division that M. Ch. Bonap. particularly applies the
name of Anas.
Vor... Ls D
426 “AVES.
longer neck, the bill more equal, and not so thick a body; they walk
better, and feed on aquatic plants and seeds as much as on fish, &c.
The inflations of their trachea consist of a bony and cartilaginous
homogeneous substance. They also admit of some subdivisions.
Ruyncuaspts, Leach.
A subgenus very remarkable for a long bill, the upper mandible
of which, forming the exact half of a perfect cylinder, is widened at
the end. Its lamelle are so long and delicate that they resemble
hairs. These birds feed on small worms, which they obtain from
the mud on the edge of brooks, &c.
An. clypeata, L.; Souchet commun, Enl. 971, 9723 Frisch, 161,
162, 163; Wils. VIII, Ixvii, 7; Naum. 49, f. 70, 71 (The Shove-
ler). A beautiful duck, with a green head and neck, white
breast, red belly, and brown back; the wings are variegated with
white, ash colour, green, brown, &c. It visits France in the
spring, and is excellent game. The lower part of its trachea is
but slightly inflated. It is the Chenerotes of Pliny.
An. fasciata, Sh., Nat. Misc. pl. 697, is another species found
in New Holland. The edges of its upper mandible are extended
on each side into a membranous appendage.
Taporna.(1)
The bill very much flattened towards the end, and bulging into
a salient lump at base.
An. tadorna, Lis; Enl. 533 Frisch, 166; Naum. I, c: 55, -f. 103
and 104.- (The Shieldrake.) The most highly coloured of all the
European Ducks: white: the head green; a cinnamon-coloured
cincture round the breast; the wing varied with black and white,
red and green. Common on the shores of the North Sea, and
of the Baltic, where it lays in the downs, and frequently in holes
abandoned by rabbits. Its bifurcation is inflated into two nearly
similar osseous capsules.
Some Ducks of this second division have some naked parts about
the head, and very often a lump on the base of the bill.
An. moschata, L., Enl. 989, commonly but improperly called
The Muscovy Duck; originally from South America, where it is
still found in its wild state, and where it perches on trees; is
now very common in our poultry yards, where it mixes with
(1) Tudorne, the name of this bird in Bélon. Buffon, following Turner, mis-
took it for the Chenalopex of the ancients.
PALMIPEDES. 427
the Common Duck. Its capsule is very large, circular, verti-
cally flattened, and all on the left side.
Some of them have pointed tails.
An. acuta, L.; Le Pilet, Enl. 954; Wils. VIII, xviii, 3; Frisch,
160 and 168; Naum. 51,f.74 and 75. (The Pintail.) Ash colour-
ed above and on the flanks, finely striped with blacks; white be-
neath; the head tawny, &c. The capsule of the trachea is small.
The males of others have some of the feathers of the tail recurved.
An. boschas, L.(1) Enl. 776, 777; Wils. VIII, Ixx, 7; Frisch,
158 and 159 (The Mallard), is known by its pale yellow feet,
yellow bill, the beautiful changeable green of the head, and
rump of the male, &c. In our poultry-yards it varies in colour,
like all other domestic animals. ‘The wild breed is common in
the marshes; it builds among the reeds, in the hollow trunks of.
willows, and sometimes upon trees. Its trachea terminates be-
low, in a large osseous capsule.
A singular variety is found in the Hook-billed. Duck, the An.
adunca, L.
Some of them have a crested head, and a bill somewhat more
narrow at the end, which, though foreign, are reared in all the avia-
ries of Europe. . Such are,
An. sponsa, L.; Enl. 980 and 981; Wils. VIII, lxxviil, 3 (The
Summer Duck): and Jn. galericulata, L., Enl. 805 and 806;
Vieill., Gal. 287:(The Chinese Duck). Some of the wing-fea-
thers in the male of this latter species are widened and turned
up vertically, in addition to those of the tail. Their capsules
are rounded, and of a moderate size.
There are other species which to the bill of a Duck add legs, even
longer than those of a Goose; they build and perch on trees.(2)
Some of this number have but semi-palmated feet.(3) Finally among
those which have no peculiar mark is the
An. strepera, L.; Le Chipeau; Enl. 958; Naum. I, c. 45, f. 655
Wils. VIII, lxxi, 1. (The Gadwal.) Reticulated and finely
striped with black; wings, red with a green spot and a white
one. The capsule of the trachea is small.
An. Penelope, Li.3 Le Siffleur; Enl. 825; Frisch, 164 and 169;
Naum. f. 72 and 73.(4) (The Whistler.) Finely striped with
:
(1) Booxas, Greek name of the Mallard.
(2) An. arborea, Enl. 804;—autumnalis, 826;—viduata, 808. [The nas sponsa
and the 2. moschata likewise build on trees. Am. Ed.)
(3) An. semipalmata, Lath.; Cuv. Mém. du Mus.
(4) Penelope, the Greek name of a red headed Duck, either the sinseent spe-
cies or the ferina, L.
428 AVES.
black; vinous-coloured breast; red head; pale forehead; the wing
white, green, ana black. The capsule is rounded, moderate,
and very bony.(1)
There are several small species designated. by the general name
of TEAL.
Jin. querquedula, L.; La Sarcelle ordinaire, Enl. 946, and the
old male, n. circia, Frisch, 176; Naum. 47, f. 66 and 67.
(The Garganey Duck.) A grey ground, reticulated with blacks
a white line round, and at the end of the eye, &c. Common on
ponds, &c. Its ‘capsule is a pyriform enlargement.
Jn. crecca, L.3 La petite Sarcelle; Enl. 9473 Frisch, 174; Naum.
48, f. 68, 69; Wils. VIII, Ixx, 45 Brit. Zool. pl. 2. (The Com-
mon Teal.) Finely striped with blackish; the head red; a green
band at the corner of the eye edged with two white lines, &c.
_ The capsule resembles a pea.(2)
Mereus, Lin.
The genus of the Mergansers comprehends those species in which
the bill, thinner and more cylindrical than that of the Ducks, is
armed along its edges with small pointed teeth resembling those of
a saw and directed backwards; the tip of the upper mandible is
hooked. Their carriage and even plumage are those of Ducks, pro-
perly so called; but their gizzard is less muscular, and their intes-
tines and ceca shorter. The inflation of the lower larynx inthe males *
is enormous, and partly membranous. They live on lakes and ponds,
where they are very destructive to fish.
Three species are found in France during the winter, whose
variations of plumage have induced some naturalists to increase
» the number.» It is said that they breed in the North among the
rocks or reeds, and lay a great many eggs.
_ Merg. merganser, L.; Le Harle vulgaire; Enl. 951; Naum. I,
c. 61, f. 93, Brit. Zool. pl. Ns; Frisch, 190; Wils. VIII, Ixviii, 1
(The Goosander), is the size of a Duck, and has red feet
and a bill of the same hue. The head of the old male is of a
deep green, the feathers on its summit forming a sort of toupee;
the mantle is black, with a white spot over the wing; under-
(1) Add An. rutila, Pall. Nov. Com. Petrop,, XIV, xxii;—n. cana and casarca,
Brown, fll. 41 and 42;—.An. pecilorhyncha, Indian Zool. pl. xiv;—the Jensen (An.
americana), Enl. 955, Wils. VILL, lxix, 4;—the Maree (An. bahamensis), Catesb.
93;—An. obscura, Wils. VIM, xxii, 5;—An. arcuata, Gm. or paturi, Spix, C.
(2) Add, An. discors, Enl. 966 and 403;—An. manillensis, Sonner. Voy. I,
pl. ly.
PALMIPEDES. 429
neath and the neck, white, slightly tinged with rose-colour.
The young and the females—Merg. castor, Enl. 9533; Frisch,
191; Naum. 61, f. 93, B, are grey with a red head.
Merg. serrator, L.3 Harle huppé; Enl: 207; Edw. 95; Naum:
I, c. 61, f. 903; Wils. VIII, Ixix, 2. (The Red-breasted Mergan-
ser.) Bill and feet red; the body variegated with black, white,
and brown; head of a black-green; a pendent tuft on the occi-
put. The young and the females,—Harles noirs, H. a manteau
noir; Naum. 62, f. 95, have a brown head.
M. albellus, L.; La Piette; Enl. 449; Frisch, 172; Naum. 63,
f. 97; Brit. Zool. pl. N. 1; Wils. VIII, xci, 9. (The Smew.)
Bill and feet blue; body white, varied with black on the man-
tle; a black spot near the eye, and one on the occiput. The
young males and the females,—WMerg. minutus, mustelinus, &c.
Enl. 4503 Brit. Zool. pl. N. 23 Naum. 63, f. 98, are grey with
a red head.(1)
(1) Among the Mergansers foreign to Europe, the only ones well ascertained
are the M. cucullatus of Carolina, Enl. 935 and 936, and the M. brasiliensis, Vieill.
Gal. 283.
APPENDIX
OF THE AMERICAN EDITOR...
i.
Vesp. carolinensis, Geoff. Anterior upper fore-teeth sub-simple,
larger than the posterior; remarkable for a strong odour resembling
that of a Fox.
V. lucifugus, L. C. Anterior upper fore-teeth bilobates; body
above dark brown, beneath cinereous; nose sub-bilobate; face with a
nakedish prominence on each side; ears oblong, naked, tragus sub-
linear, half as long as the ears; tail projecting a little beyond the
membrane; length to the insertion of the tail two inches and a quar-
ter; tail one inch and a quarter.
V. noctivagans, L.C. Anterior upper fore-teeth bilobate, the
posterior sub-simple; colour black or dusky cinereous; hair on the
back and belly tipped with greys ears short, naked, roundish; tragus
short and roundish; nose sub-bilobate; tail projecting a little beyond
the interfemoral membrane, which is hairy; length two inches and
five eighths; tail one and three eighths.
“TL:
Add Plec. macrotis, L. C. Upper fore-teeth, four, trilobate, dis-
tant by pairs, the posterior smaller; ears very long, pointing for-
wards; tragus subulate, half the length of the ears.(1)
(1) There is another species with equally long ears, which are not united on the
cranium; which of these is the megalotis of Raffin., it is impossible to say.
432 APPENDIX.
Il.
Nyc. noveboracensis. Easily known by its short and round ears,
and by the interfemoral membrane being hairy and including the
whole of the tail. There is a white spot at the insertion of the wing
and another at the base of the thumb; these marks are constant.
This species varies much in colour, and has been called V. lasiurus
by Schreber, V. monachus by some, and is figured Wils. Orn. VI,
pl. 4, whence it has been quoted by M. Cuvier as the T'aphizous.
Nyct. crepuscularis, L. C. Above brown, beneath paler; a small
black wart above each eye; nose somewhat bilobate; chin with a
small double wart; ears moderate; tragus small, subulates tail pro-.
jecting a little beyond the membrane.
Nyct. cynocephala, L. C. The posterior fore-tooth on each ae
smaller than the rest which are emarginate; nose furnished on the
top and sides with stiff short bristles; lips very large, somewhat
pendulous; ears broad, round, naked; tragus not apparent; tail long,
extending far beyond the membrane; outer and inner toes of the hind
feet woolly on the outside; the rest with each two long hairs on the top.
IV.
Meles europxa; Ursus meles, L. (European Badger.) Above, grey,
beneath, black; a blackish band on each side of the head.
Meles labradorias; Ursus labradorius, L. (American Badger.)
Above grey, beneath paler; head brown, with a narrow white line
on the top; under jaw and throat white. From a comparison of
these two descriptions it will be seen, that it is impossible that they
can be but one species. They are totally distinct.
WV
This is the animal called the Mink in the United States, and is
identical with the Vison. We have another, the Must. Pennanti,
Erxl., the Fisher, as it is commonly called, which in its manners
resembles the Must. martis.
Vi
Add to the description of Canis lycaon, “ found also in America, in
the Missouri country and in Canada.”’ The other. species, C. latrans,
and C. nubilus, mentioned in note (3), page 106, are probably varie-
ties of C. lupus. This animal always hunts in company, and barks
when in pursuit of its prey. It varies much in colour, being grey,
>
APPENDIX. 433
reddish, black, mixed black and grey, grey and reddish, and grey,
reddish and black, and in size fr om | that of a small dog to that. of the
largest mastiff.
VII.
div, ie
The Canis fulvus of some authors, the American Red Fox, is
identical with the European, and was introduced’ (at least into the
United States) by some Englishmen, who thought it afforded better
sport than the American species: not many years ago persons were
living who remembered when: they were first brought to New Eng-
land. .
This is an error. The Se. Cinereus, L. "(The Cat Squirrel), of our
country is cinereous above, beneath white, tail less distichous than
that of other species, longer than the body and striped with black;
length twelve inches, tail fifteen. ‘There are but four teeth in the
upper jaw oneach side. Inhabits the northern and middle states,
Se. car olinensis, L. (Little Grey Squirrel.) Above mixed white,
blackish and rusty; beneath white; cheeks rusty; tail as long as the
body, edged with white; upper jaw teeth, five on each side. This is
the species described by our author as the cinereus.
Sc. vulpinus. (The Fox Squirrel.) Length fourteen inches, tail six-
teen; very much resembles the Sc. cinereus, but differs in size and in
the texture of the fur which is coarser and longer, the hair having
frequently the appearance of being twisted or even geniculate. The
Se. capiseeatis i is a variety of this species, and so, most probably, is
the rufiventris. Some individuals are entirely of a rusty colour,
~ others wholly black, and others again varied like a tortoise-shell cat.
All these have been found together in the same nest. The Sc. niger
of some:authors is the black variety of these three species. The Sc.
cinereus is sometimes found entirely white with black eyes.
The other species found in the United States are Sc. macrourus,
Say;—Se. grammarus, Id.;—Sc. 4-vittatus, Id.;—Sc. lateralis, Id.;
= Se. hudsonius, Gin.
IX.
Some confusion appears to exist in this note with respect to the
Vou. L—3 E
434 APPENDIX.
location of several American species, which truly belong to the
Arvicota, Cuv. or, Hypupaus of Illiger.
Da
Add, of American an species, Hypudzus xanthognatus, Leach;—Hyp.
riparius 2 Ord.* A subdivision of ‘this group will embrace the Hyp.
hispidus (Sigmodon, Say), and Hyp. messor, L. C: and another sub-
division, Hyp. floridanus (Neotoma, Say), and Hyp. gossipinus, L. C.
6
:
XI.
; > - E
Here should come the new genus Psammomys, Le Conte, described
Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. of New York, III, 3, pl. 2, which differs from
all the preceding in,the form of the jaw teeth. The eyes are very
small, and the ears scarcely visible... It burrows like the Sorex.
But one species has yet been found—P. pinetorum, L. C.—which
inhabits the pine forests of Georgia. Its hair is a dark shining
cinereous colour, tipped above with brown, beneath a very pale ash;
head large and blunt; tail round and hairy.(1)
as
Sy
Cathartes aura. (Turkey Buzzard.) Black, with a bluish gloss;
neck feathered equally all round; a, red, bill white. The other
species Cathartes iota, Vieill. which by our author is arranged in
the genus Percnopterus, undoubtedly belongs to the same genus with
the C. aura. Its vulgar name is the Carrion Crow. Its colour is
black, neck more feathered above than beneath; head black; bill
horn-colour. Both these species are common in the warm, parts of
our country: the first, however, ranges more to the north than the
other; it is sometimes seen at New York. They prey upon carrion
and excrementitious matters, but never attack living animals excep
they perceive them helpless or unable to defend themselves.
e.
RTL
These citations, from F. pennsylvanicus, Wils. to F. hyemalis, Wils.
' P
a _
(1) On examining the work of Ruppel lately received at the Ac. of Nat. Sc. of
Philad., I find that he has anticipated Major Le Conte in the generic use of the
word Psammomys. As the rule of priority should be inexorably adhered to in these
cases, | would propose for the American animal the generic‘appellation of Prry-
Mys, or Pine-mouse.
APPENDIX. 435
IV, xxxv, 1, are wrong. Instead of them should be inserted #. penn-
sylvanicus, Wils. VI, pl. liv, f. 1; —&. velox (Shate-coloured Hawk),
Wils. VI, pl. xlvi, f. 1;—/. dubius, Gm. These three birds are con-
sidered (Syn. Am. Birds of Ch. Bonap.) as the same, and as identi-
cal with the #. fuscus of Gmel.
XIV.
Add M. Sayi, Bonap. Am. Or. I, ph. ii; f. 3;—M. fusca, Gm.
Wils. Orn. I, pl. Ixiii, f. 53. acadica; Gm. Wiis. 1, pl. xiii, f. 3.
KV.
Here should come the genus Vireo, Vieill. (Muscicapa, L., &c.).
These have a bill like the Muscicapa, but it is shorter, not so much
depressed, but mateer compressed; bristly at base; upper mandible
curved at the tip; tongu ifid at the tip. The colour of all the spe-
cies is olive, more or less inclining to, yellow.
V. flavifrons, Vieill. (Wils. II, pl. 7, f. 3, MZ. sylvicola). Throat,
breast, forehead, and circle round the eyes, yellow.
V. solitarius, Vieills(M. solitaria, Wils. I, pl. xvii, f. 6). Head,
bluish; cir cle round the eyes white, breast pale ash, belly white.
V. noveboracensis, Vieill. (MM. noveboracensis, Gm., M. cantatriz,
Wils. Il, pl. xviii, f. 6). Spot at the base of the upper mandible,
and circle round the eyes, yellow; eye-lids white.
V. gilvus, Bonap. (Sylvia gilva, Vieill., 1. melodia, Wils. V, pl.
pic EB ni A line over the eyes, and body beneath, white; eye-lids,
brown.
» V. olivaceus, Vieill. (M.olivacea, L. Wils. II, pl. xii, f. 3). Crown,
cinereous, bounded on the sides with blacks line over the eyes, white;
eye-lids, rufous.
XVI.
The Z. minor, Gm., is quoted in this note as a synonyme of the
T. mustelinus, Wils., when in fact it is the solitarius, Wils., V, p.
xliii, f. 2. The 7. mustelinus, Gm., is the 7. melodes, Wils. I, p. ii,
f. 1. The 7. mustelinus, Wils., isthe 7. Wilsonit, Bonap. Wils. V,
p: xlili, f. 3.
436 APPENDIX.
XVII.
Add to this note for American species; J. aurocapilla, L. Wils.
II, pl. xiv, f. 2;—M. noveboracensis, Lath. Wils. III, pl. xxiii, f. 5;—
M. coronata, Wils. II, ‘pl. xvii, f. 45 M7. palmarum, Bonap. I, pl. x,
f. 2;—M. maculosa, Lath. (Syl. magnolia, Wils.) Wils. U1, pl. xxiii,
f. 2;—M. maritima, Wils. VI, pl. li, f. 8;—M. pardalina, Bonap.
(Musc. canadensis, Wils.), Wils. III, pl. xxvi, f. 2;—. mitrata, Bo-
nap. (Musc. cucullata, Wils.) Wils. Ill, pl. xxvi, f. 33—JZ. pensilis,
(Syl. flavicollis, Wils.) Wils. Il,, pl. xii, f. 6;—JZ. virens, Wils. I,
pl. xvii, f. 3;—M. Blackburnee, Wils. I, pl. xxviii, f, 5;—M. icte-
rocephala, Lath. (Syl. pennsylvanica, Wils.) Wils. I, pl. xiv, f. 53—
M. castanea, Wils. I, pl. xiv, f. 4;—. striatay Wils. IV, p. xxx, f.
33;—WM. varia, Lath. (Certhia maculata, Wils.) Wils. III, p. xix, f. 3;—
M. pinus, Wils. Il, pl. xix, f. 451. parus, Wils. V, p. xliv, f. 33
—WM. tigrina (Syl. montana, Wils.) WilsV, p. xli, f. 2;—/M/. rara,
Wils. III, pl. xlvii, f. 23—M. discolor (Syl. minuta, Wils.) Wils. IIT,
pl. xxv, f. 4;—. zstiva (Syl. citrinella, Wils.) Wils. II, p. xv, f. 63
—WM. petechia, Wils. pl. xxviii, f. 4;—/. americana (Syl. pusilla,
Wils.) Wils. IV, p. 28, xxviii, f° 3;—/. genes Wils. II, pl.
xv, f. 73—M. agilis, Wils. V, pl. xxxix, f. 4,;—M. formosa, Wils. III,
pl. xxv, f. 33—M. itinale: Wils. THe pl. xxiii, f. 4;—M. trichas,
Wils. I, pl. vi, f. 1 and 2, pl. xviii, f. 4;-—-J/. philadelphica, Wils. Th
pl. xiv, f. 6;—J. sphagnosa, Bonap. Wils. V, pl. xliii, f. 4;—M. azu-
rea, Steph., Bonap. II, pl. xi, f. 2, and Wils. I, pl. xvii, f..5;—J/.
cerulea, Wils. II, pl. xviii, f. 5;—M. minuta, Bonap. (Musc. minuta,
Wils.) Wils. VI, pl. 1, f. 5;—. Wilsonii, Bonap. (Muse. pusilla,
Wils.) Wils. III, pl. xxvi, f. 4.
XVIII. ‘
The Mot. pensilis, zestiva, ludoviciana, and canadensis quoted in
this note by our author, do not belong to this subgenus. There
should, however, be added for American species, M. calendula,
Wils. I, p. v, f. 3;—M. cristatus, Wils. I, p. viii, f. 2.
XIX.
It may be as well to insert here the genus Icrrrta of, Vieillot,
which, from its. resemblance to many of the preceding genera, al-
»
APPENDIX. 437
though it wants the emargination on the upper mandible, cannot be
more appropriately arranged. |
* Bill strong, convex, somewhat curved, compressed, almost entire,
bristly at base; mandibles sub-equal, edges somewhat bent in; nos-
trils round, half covered by a membrane; tongue slightly bifid at the
tip; intermediate between Turdus, Muscicapa, Vireo and Tanagra.
There is but one species known, Jct. dumicola, Vieill. which inhabits
the United States (Pipra polyglotta,, Wils. 1, p. vi, f. 2). It is olive-
green, with the throat and breast yellow; belly white; circle round
the eyes, and line above them yellow.
XX
Add for American species: #. amena, Bonap. I, p. viii, f. 4;—
F. cyanea, Wils. I, p. vi, f. 5;—/. ctris, Wils. IIT, p. xxiv, f. 1 and
23;—F. americana, Wils. I, p. iii, f. 23—F. leucophrys, Wils. I, p.
xxxi, f. 45—/. grammaca, Bonap. I, p. v, f. 23—F. pennsylvanica,
Wils. II, p.. xxii, .f. 23—F. sramined, Wils. IV, p. iil, f. 5;—F.
melodia, Wils. II, p. xvi, f. 4:—F. savanna, Wils. IV, p. xxxiv, f.
4;—F. passerina, Wils. II, p. xxiv, f. 5;—F. canadensis, Wils. II,
p- xvi, f. 3;—F. socialis, Wils. U,opoxvi, f. 5;—. palustris, Wils.
Ill, p. xxii, f. 1;—F'. caudacuta, Wils. IV, p. xxxiv, f. 3;—F. mari-
tima, Wils.»p. xxxiv, f. 2.° ©
fa
XXI1.
. = a ’ é
Add F. psaltria, Bonap. I, p. vi. f. 33—F. pinus, Wils. II, p.
lvii, f.01. |
a
XXII.
Add for American species: D. vermivora, Wils. II, p. xxiv, f.
4;—D. prothonotarius, Wils. III, pl. xxiv, f. 2;—JD. solitaria, Wils.
Il, p. xv, f. 4;—D. chrysoptera, Wils. II, p. xv, f. 2;—D. peregrina,
Wils. Ill, p. xxv, f. 2;—JD. rubricapilla, Wils. M1, p. xxvii, f. 3;—
D. celata, Bonap. I, p. v, f. 2. All the birds of this genus are more
nearly allied to Muscicapa and Sylvia, and ought to be arranged
with them.
XXIII.
The genus Quiscatvus of Vieillot should find a place between this
genus and Caryocatactes. Its characters are as follows:
438 APPENDIX.
Bill large, compressed from the base, entire, the edges angular,
hardly bent in; upper mandible curved from the middle, longer than
the lower, with an osseous prominence in the middle; tongue bifid
at tip; nostrils half closed by a membrane.
Q. major, Bonap. I, p. iv, f. 1 and 2 (Gracula barrita of authors,
Jackdaw of the south). Black, with a blue gloss mixed with purple;
head and neck purple; iris yellow. Female dusky; back, wings
and tail with a slight bluish gloss; head and neck dark brown; throat,
breast and belly, brown.
Q. versicolor, Vieill. Wils. III, p. xxi, f. iv (Grac. quiscula of au-
thors). Black, with a bluish gloss, mixed with purple; head and
neck with a purple gloss; iris yellow. Female more dusky. Both
these species are similar in their manners, are gregarious, and com-
mit great devastation in fields of grain.
Q. ferrugineus, Bonap. Wils. III, p. xxi, f. 3 (Grac. ferruginea of
authors). Black, with feathers more or less tipped with ferruginous.
N.B. Previous to the labours of M. C. Bonaparte, these three
birds were not understood. It is needless to occupy any space in
commenting on the errors that have hitherto existed respecting
them.
XXIV.
Add, Tot. macularius, Temm. Wils. VIII, p. lix, f. 1. The Pha-
laropus frenatus alluded to by our author in note (8) is not figured in,
Wilson, IX, p. Ixiii, f. 3. The bird there represented is the Lobipes
Wilsonii of Sabine. '
XXV.
Here should come the genus Aramus, Vieill. characterized as
follows.—Bill much longer than the head, cleft beneath the eyes,
compressed, straight, curved, and somewhat turgid at tip; upper
mandible slightly furrowed, the lower turgid towards the middle,
angular beneath, acute; nostrils in wide orifices, linear, pervious;
lores naked; feet longs toes divided to their base, hind toe long.
“Ar. scolopaceus, Vieill. Brown glossed with green; feathers longi-
tudinally white in the middle; rump, quill, and tail feathers imma-
culate. Inhabits Georgia and Florida, Bonap. Syn. p. 308.
#
APPENDIX, « 439
a
XXXVI.
The Pel. sula, .., The Brown Booby, Enl. 973, is the Sula fusca,
Briss.
XXVII.
Closely allied to the genus Pxiorus is the HEtrornis of Vieillot
which chiefly differs from it in having a shorter and slenderer bill,
the edges of which are entire, not denticulate. But two species are
known, the H. suwrinamensis, Enl. 893. Brown, beneath whitish; sides
of the neck striped with black and white; bill and feet dusky, the
latter semi-palmate and barred with black. The other is the #
senegalensis, Vieill. Gal. 280. Brown, beneath white; sides of the
neck and back speckled with black; bill and feet red; toes connected
only at the base; tail cuneiform.
Pena
TWACOLgES yen Meats
aa “¢ ?
¥, : Y ‘
‘wy ;
eo
re ¥ er
7 - ¥
. 7
pe .
a
Mesa ot
Oe ’
es
% *
j a
nm Puded
i? ’
%
_.e
ve! ae
Fab ss
te o 5 ae ¥
a
iy i ‘Gy en
be a! -
" pag
M2 i, &
/ 3, ete pe
+4 b + ae
#4 ibe. gs "
2 > oie" F thy
em,
4 e oe
% Sh 4
ae we oF ei :
’ *? ‘ P.
¥ te
h ts
. P i
. ae
CATALOGUE
OF
THE MAMMALIA AND BIRDS OF THE UNITED
STATES.
MAMMALIA.
CARNARIA.
CHEIROPTERA.
Vespertilio carolinensis Nycticea noveboracensis
lucifugus, L. C. crepuscularis, L. C.
noctivagans, L. C. cynocephalus, L. C.
Plecotus macrotis, L. C.
INSECTIVORA.
Sorex(1) Scalops aquaticus
Condylura cristata
CARNIVORA.
PLANTIGRADA.
Ursus americanus Meles labradoria
horribilis Gulo luscus
Procyon lotor
(1) We have many species of this genus in the United States, but not one that
has yet been properly determined.
Vou. I.—3 F
442 CATALOGUE.
DIGITIGRADA.
Putorius vulgaris Canis lupus
erminea lycaon
lutreola vulpes
Mustela martes cinereo-argenteus
Pennantii Felis discolor
Mephitis putorius rufa
Lutra brasiliensis borealis
AMPHIBTA.
Phoca vitulina
MARSUPIALTIA.
Didelphis virginiana
RODENTIA.
Sciurus carolinensis Meriones canadensis
cinereus + labradorius
vulpinus Fiber zibethicus
macrourus Hypudzus xanthognathus
grammarus riparius? Ord
4-vittatus hispidus
hudsonius messor, L. C.
striatus floridanus
lateralis gossypinus, L, C.
Pteromys volucella Psammomys pinetorum, L. C.
hudsonia Saccomys bursarius
Arctomys monax Castor fiber
Hoodii Hystrix dorsata
Mus musculus Lepus variabilis
rattus americanus
decumanus
Cervus alces
canadensis
RUMINANTIA.
Cervus virginianus
macrotis
Antilope lanigera
furcifer
Delphinus Delphis
phocena
Cathartes aura
tNoBILEs
Falco communis
Cooperi, Bonap.
sparverius
fuscus
columbarius
+tHIEROFALCONES
Falco atricapillus
TttAQuiLz
Falco fulvus
haliztos
leucocephalus
ttttAsSTURES
+Orr
Strix nevia
otus
brachyotus
TttSTRIGES
Strix flammea
ttt Busones
Strix magellanica
CATALOGUE. 443
Ovis Ammon
Bos bison
CETACEA.
Delphinus orca
Balena mysticetus
ee
AVES.
ACCIPITRES.
DIURN®.
VULTURINE.
Carthartes jota
FALCONES.
Falco palumbarius
pennsylvanicus
tttttMinvr
Falco furcatus
dispar, Temm.
plumbeus, Gm.
TtttttBuTrEoNnEs
Falco lagopus
Sancti Johannis
borealis
tttttttCiror
Falco hyemalis
pygargus
NOCTURN &.
Strix cinerea
tHtNoorvz
Strix funerea
nyctea
cunicularia
acadica
tttttULuLz
Strix nebulosa
444 CATALOGUE.
PASSERINE.
DENTIROSTRES.
Lanius ludovicianus Motacilla maculosa
septentrionalis maritima
tTyrannvus pardalina, Bonap.
Muscicapa tyrannus mitrata
crinita pensilis
verticalis, Bonap. virens
forficata Blackburniz
ttMuscicapa icterocephala
Muscicapa Sayi, Bonap. castanea
fusca striata
virens varia
ruticilla pinus
Vireo flavifrons parus
solitarius tigrina
noveboracensis rara
gilvus discolor
olivaceus zstiva
Bombycilla garrula pulchra
americana americana
carolinensis canadensis
Tanagra estiva agilis
rubra formosa
ludoviciana autumnalis
Turdus polyglottos trichas
migratorius philadelphica
lividus sphagnosa, Bonap.
rufus azurea
minor coerulea
mustelinus +HttREGULI
Wilsonii, Bonap. Motacilla calendula
Myothera obsoleta, Bonap. cristata
tSaxicoLz Trogiodytes aedon
Motacilla sialis europzus
ttSyLviz palustris
Motacilla aurocapilla ludovicianus
noveboracensis Anthus spinoletta
coronata Icteria dumicola
palmarum
CATALOGUE. 445
FISSIROSTRES.
tCyYpsELi Hirundo bicolor
Hirundo pelasgia riparia
ttHrrunpines Caprimulgus carolinensis
Hirundo purpurea virginianus
rufa vociferus
fulva
CONIROSTRES.
Alauda alpestris tttCaRDUELES
Parus bicolor Fringilla tristis
atricapillus psaltria
Emberiza nivalis pinus
linaria
Pyrgita iliaca
erythrophthalma
{SpPizz
Fringilla amoena, Bonap.
cyanea
ciris
ttPassERES
Fringilla americana
leucophrys
grammaca
pennsylvanica
graminea
melodia
savanna
nivalis
passerina
laponica
canadensis
socialis
pusilla
palustris
caudacuta
maritima
Corvus corone
corax
ossifragus
Coccothraustes cardinalis
vespertina, Bonap.
ludoviciana
cerulea
purpurea
Pyrrhula frontalis, Bonap.
Loxia curvirostra
leucoptera
Corythus enucleator
Xanthornus baltimorus
spurius
phoeniceus
xanthocephalus
pecoris
agripennis
Dacnis vermivora
prothonotarius
solitarius
chrysoptera
peregrina
rubricapilla
ciliata, Bonap.
Sturnus ludovicianus
CORACES.
Corvus columbianus
pica
Garrulus cristatus
446 CATALOGUE.
Garrulus floridanus Quiscalus versicolor
canadensis ferrugineus
Quiscalus major
TENUIROSTRES.
Sitta canadensis Certhia familiaris
carolinensis Trochilus colibris
pusilla Alcedo alcyon
SCANSORLE.
Picus auratus Picus pubescens
principalis querulus
pileatus torquatus
erythrocephalus tridactylus
carolinus Cuculus americanus
varius erythrophthalmus
villosus Psittacus carolinensis
GALLINACEE.
Meleagris gallopavo Perdix virginiana
Tetrao canadensis californiana
obscurus | Columba fasciata, Bonap.
urophasianus, Bonap. zenaida, Bonap.
umbellus leucocephala
cupido passerina
phasianellus migratoria
albus carolinensis
GRALLATORI/A.
PRESSIROSTRES.
Charadrius semipalmatus, Bonap. Charadrius pluvialis
melodus Squatarola helvetica
Wilsonii Hematopus ostralegus
vociferus
CULTRIROSTRES.
Grus canadensis tARDEE
americana Ardea Herodias
Ardea alba
Pealii, Bonap.
candidissima
ludoviciana
é ttBorauri
Ardea violacea
CATALOGUE.
Ardea nycticorax
coerulea
minor
virescens
Tantalus loculator
Platalea ajaja
LONGIROSTRES.
. Ibis rubra
alba
Numenius longirostris
hudsonicus
borealis
Scolopax minor
paludosa
Limosa zgocephala
fedoa
Calidris maritima
Temminckii
minuta
pusilla
islandica
Arenaria calidris
Pelidna alpina
subarcuata
Schinzii
pectoralis
platyrhynca
maritima
Machetes pugnax
447
Hemipalama semipalmata, Bonap.
Phalaropus fulicarius, Bonap.
Totanus semipalmatus
melanoleucus
flavipes
Bartramius
solitarius
macularius
Lobipes hyperborea
Wilsonii, Bonap.
Himantopus nigricollis
Recurvirostra americana
Rallus crepitans
virginianus
carolinus
noveboracensis
Gallinula martinica
chloropus
Fulica americana
Phoenicopterus ruber
PALMIPEDES.
BRACHYPTERZ.
Podiceps cristatus Uria troile
subcristatus Brunnichii, Sab.
cornutus Cephus alle
carolinensis Fratercula cirrhata
Colymbus glacialis arctica
septentrionalis Alca torda
Uria grylle
448
CATALOGUE.
LONGIPENNES.
Procellaria Wilsonii, Bon.
Leachii, Bonap.
Larus marinus
Lestris cataractes
glacialis pomarina
Larus minutus Buffonii
capistratus paradisea
atricilla Sterna cayana
tridactylus anglica
canus hirundo
eburneus arctica
fuscus minuta
argentatus nigra
argentatoides fuliginosa
leucopterus stolida
glaucus Rhynchops nigra
PALMATE.
PELECANI.
Pelecanus onocrotalus Sula bassana
fuscus fusca
Phalacrocorax carbo Plotus melanogaster
graculus Heliornis surinamensis
cistatus Phaeton ethereus
Tachypetes aquilus
Cygnus musicus
Anser hyperboreus
albifrons
segetum
canadensis
leucopsis
bernicla
Anas nigra
glacialis
fusca
perspicillata
histrionica
Stelleri
clangula
albeola
mollissima
spectabilis
ferina
-LAMELLIROSTRES.
Anas valisneriz
marila
fuligula
labradora
rubida
clypeata
acuta
boschas.
sponsa
strepera
americana
obscura
crecca
discors
Mergus merganser
serrator
cucullatus
albellus
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES.
Plate I. The Quadrupeds of this plate are sufliciently de-
scribed in the text, for which refer to the genera by the Index.
Plate II. This plate exhibits the osteology of the head of
two anomalous Mammalia. : :
‘Fig. i, 2,3. The Aye-Aye (Cheiromys, C.), which, with the
teeth of the Rodentia, possesses a head very similar to that of
the Quadrumana, and principally as relates to the zygomatic
arch, the orbit, &c.
Fig..4,-5,-6. The Phascolomys, which also has the teeth of
the Rodentia united to a head very analogous to that of the
Carnaria, and evidently closely allied to that of the Phalangers.
Plates HI andIV. The Birds of this plate are sufficiently
described in the text under their respective genera.
VoL. l—3 G
aS
BA
i
Nita rf
TR
1}
‘
lL Lhe Creat Galago 2 The Visor.
gh Lhe. LIMA TAIL Oler Ue The eed. Wolf.
Fi The Aoala , oa ay
Jnomateus. Manmata
E23 Ther, Lie Hye
£5.6. lhe Wombat
cae a ie
e ;
SS :
SOS 4
ee SWS ;
RTE q
4
Tucker: Scl-
1 Lagle with a gradate tal. 2 The Crating.
3. Lhe Creal Marpiy. ” L The Crested’ Honey-Buzzard.
BLAE 1 aughing falcon. 0. Ocyplerus : er pe
pn
Laurillard.del , A Tucker Sec .
LF OdGYUBS.31.5.. 2. Lpimachus Magnueficus .
2. Philedon eon chils f LY Lew Aimpe LS 2
I The American Ostrich
Ware (2
rashigsi
‘ Wish
Wet
ie
marl
\
ht
i
YAY
hee dM ny enya td
LG SH bal Aa te ¥
z be a eM fa
bay
p=
Me é hay
Ar eoU dis tal hes Cae bd
d Wi gy A (
RSIeg et we eyatl 4
wey nyt a} , a i vit i
bens ic ble i eee
ens v.
OY
ae hes
i
Hi ea
+
Fee Re
Re uniia
tones
h {
we
it, tes
Kean oil
ope
EPS by eal
sop atin a rik!
Shar
\
ey i
i
3)
MM
Bink
b Minny caw!
Mis Hi balan VAs My ah
ity aH ‘ : sy 8h Nias y My Ht Mato
v8 Raa i
Wi)
iN
Ai
Wits
ag
4 Hit
hha
eb
{ Dues
nar
Sou
AORN
ALY Aly
a
NM
Nish A
ihe
yrs
“aN y
es 15
r =
PLAN
aah
iy “ah
rented
ih sane ‘
ae bi) ra
a isd gpa a
Uist
arte
Hectibirayi
La as
is
e
late if Bahia ;
‘ it
hi " Baa Mo
i
tee y
Deer yt
LED GUAR Ri
i vind
ROROD]
athe
5)
A
Nat
ay
y
Uy arcs
Be hee
a} heriaeen
Paster?
at
ce es
ie
fi
cnt
|
Att