From the alteration of a let

ing the innovation. But it did not. ter to the alteration of the laws of the land, reform will take place, however great the authority which opposes it,-hand joined in hand would in vain attempt to stem the tide of improvement. Wilson effected some beneficial changes in names, such as Orchard Oriole instead of Bastard Oriole. I will quote some of his comments on this name:" I cannot but take notice of the name which naturalists have bestowed on this bird, and which is certainly remarkable. Specific names, to be perfect, ought to express some peculiarity, common to no other of the genus, and should, at least, be consistent with truth; but in the case now before us, the name has no one merit of the former, nor even that of the latter, to recommend it, and ought, henceforth, to be rejected as highly improper and calculated, like that of Goatsucker, [properly Nightjar, Vociferator, N. Wood], and many others equally ridiculous, to perpetuate that error from which it originated." It is to be wished that Wilson had always acted on the same liberal and fearless principle; but, in several instances, as in that of the Aquila leucocephala, he has allowed baneful custom to overcome his reason; he asserts the specific name, Bald, to be "equally improper and absurd; and yet says, "the appellation, however, being now almost universal, is retained in the following pages." But Audubon, instead of yielding to what he knew to be wrong, corrects the error, and calls the bird, "White-headed Eagle." Even Audubon is not entirely free from the charge of following in the sheep-track, as it were, as may be seen by the following passage ;-"But names already given and received, whether apt or inapt, I am told, must not be meddled with. To this law I humbly submit, and so proceed, contenting myself with feeling assured that many names given to birds might, with much benefit to the student of nature, become subjects of reform." I should hardly have thought that a writer of so strong a mind as Audubon, would, merely because he had been told so and so, have sacrificed to authority what he knew to be for the good of the ornithological student. However, the greatest minds have their failings.

Ornithological Biography, vol. i., p. 394.

I shall here make a short quotation in point, from the writings of Charles L. Bonaparte, who has generally correct views on the subject: According to Buffon and Vieillot, this bird is a permanent resident in the West Indies, where, as they state, the name is sometimes applied to it of Fausse Linotte. We, however, can perceive scarcely any resemblance, except in its dull state of plumage to a similar state of the Redpoll Finch, (Redpoll Linnet, Linaria rubra, Will.). The name of Bimbelé, by which it is known among the negroes of those countries, is derived from the recollection of an African bird, to which, probably, the resemblance is not more evident. Unfortunately, this propensity of limited minds, to refer new objects, however distinct, to those with which they are acquainted, seems to have prevailed throughout the world, and is found exemplified no where more absurdly than in the AngloAmerical names of plants and animals."+ This case is exactly similar to that before brought forward of House Sparrow and Hedge Dunnoc. The West Indians would call the Palm Warbler a Linnet, and Mr. Strickland would call the Hedge Dunnoc a Sparrow However, in every successive work on the subject, there is an improvement; and it is much to be hoped that, as sound principles are acquired, exactitude will be proportionately attained.

I shall now give a list of the Birds of Britain, as divided by Vi gors into five orders,-Raptores, Insessores, Rasores, Grallatores, and Natatores.

Section, Aquilina. Genus, Aquila, (Antiq.), Eagle.

Genus, Pandion, (Sav.), Ospray.

White-headed Ospray,*

Pandion leucocephalus, (W.)

Section, Accipina. Genus, Astur, (Bechst.), Gossuc.

Rock Gossuc

Sparrow Hawk

Astur palumbarius, (Bec.)
Genus, Accipiter, (Auct.), Hawk.

Accipiter nisus, (W.)

eaten "

*It is curious that the four first birds of the British Fauna are among those prohibited in the Old Testament: "the Eagle, and the Ossifrage, and the Ospray, and the Vulture shall not be "We presume," with Wilson, "that this prohibition was religiously observed, so far, at least, as it related to the Vulture, from whose flesh there arises such an unsavory odour, that we question if all the sweetening processes ever invented could render it palatable to Jew, Pagan, or Christian."

* In the four remaining Orders, I shall not give the Tribes, Families, and Sections, as my present aim is more Nomenclature than Classification,

Pandicilla suecica, (Blyth)

Locustella sibilatrix, (W.)
Salicaria phragmitis, (Selby)
Salicaria arundinacea, (Selby)
Philomela luscinia, (Sw.)

Ficedula atricapilla, (Blyth)
Ficedula hortensis, (Blyth)
Ficedula cinerea, (Blyth)

Ficedula garrula, (Blyth)
Melizophilus provincialis, (Leach)
Sylvia hippolais, (Lath.)
Silvia sibilatrix, (Bechst.)
Silvia trochilus, (Lath.)
Regulus auricapillus, (Selby)
Regulus ignicapillus, (Mudie)
Parus hortensis, (W.)
Parus cæruleus, (Will.)
Parus palustris, (Will.)
Parus ater, (Will.)
Parus cristatus, (Aldr.)
Afedula sonans, (W.)

Calamophilus biarmicus, (Leach)

Accentor modularis, (Cuv.)

Curruca alpina, (W.)

Motacilla maculosa, (W.)

Motacilla cinerea, (Will.)

Budytes verna, (Cuv.)

Anthus rupestris, (Nils.)
Anthus pratensis, (Bechst.)
Anthus arboreus, (Bechst.)
Anthus fuscus, (Vieill.)

Bombycilla cratægus, (W.)
Alauda arvensis, (Lin.)

Alauda arborea, (Lin.)

Plectrophanes nivalis, (Mey.)

Plectrophanes lapponica, (Selby)

Emberiza miliaria, (Lin.)

Emberiza citrinella, (Lin.)

Emberiza schæniculus, (Lin.)

*Selby has most erroneously called this bird "Wood Wren;" which name belongs to an American bird described by the eloquent and enterprising Audobon, in his graphic work, Ornithological Biography, vol. ii., p. 452.