Chapter XXV: Introduction (24)

Fam. XXXIII. TANAGRIDAE.[308]–The Tanagers form a New World group, hardly distinguishable from the _Fringillidae_, except by their more feeble conformation and their exposed nostrils. The coloration is often particularly gorgeous, but their habits are comparatively little known. The bill varies much in length and thickness, the hooked tip being highly developed in _Lamprotes_ and _Sericossypha_, while _Procnias_ has a wide Swallow-like gape. The metatarsi are short and stout; the toes are large, with sharp curved claws in _Lamprotes_ and _Sericossypha_; the wings are moderate and somewhat pointed, being unusually long in _Procnias_; while the tail may be very short as in _Euphonia_, but is rarely long and graduated as in _Cissopis_, and only occasionally forked.

These birds are characteristic of the forests and wooded country of the Neotropical Region, whence four species of _Pyranga_ extend to the United States, and two reach Canada and British Columbia respectively; several forms, moreover, are peculiar to the Antilles. They are chiefly of small size, _Euphonia_ possessing the least and _Pitylus_ or _Saltator_ the largest members of the Family; the sexes are commonly similar, but the female is often duller, or even quite different from the male, as in _Rhamphocoelus_ and _Pyranga_. A short crest occurs rarely, as in _Eucometis_ and _Stephanophorus_. The prevailing colours are black and red or uniform red in _Pyranga_, _Phlogothraupis_, and most species of _Rhamphocoelus_ and _Calochaetes_; blue or purplish-black and yellow in _Buthraupis_, _Iridornis_, and their nearest allies; blue and black in _Procnias_ and _Pseudodacnis_; orange or yellow, with black and white in _Spindalis_ and _Lanio_; black and white in _Lamprospiza_ and _Cissopis_; olive and brown in _Chlorospingus_; chestnut and brown in _Orchesticus_; grey, olive, yellow, or green, with more or less blue in _Thraupis_ (_Tanagra_). _Buarremon_ and several other forms are comparatively dull; _Tanagra_ (_Calliste_) exhibits a beautiful mixture of all the above hues; _Euphonia_ is also varied, but lacks scarlet tints; _Chlorochrysa_ is brilliant green, relieved by orange, chestnut, blue, and black. The bill may be red, black, yellow, {576}leaden or horn-coloured. Roughly speaking, _Tanagra_ contains sixty species, _Euphonia_, _Chlorospingus_, and _Buarremon_ each over thirty.

The flight of these bold, lively, and restless birds–often met with in small parties–is Finch-like and not uncommonly brief; the song, frequently heard in chorus, is mellow and pleasing, accompanied by chattering, whistling, and chirping notes; the diet consists of insects and fruits, even the latter being occasionally snatched upon the wing; while worms, larvae, and molluscs are eaten, and some species scratch for food among fallen leaves. The nests are usually shallow fabrics of grass, roots, fibres, moss, and lichens, lined with hair or down; twigs, broad leaves, or fern-stems being commonly added below: they are sometimes placed in forks of trees or bushes, if not at the ends of branches; sometimes in masses of creepers, or even upon the ground; that of _Pyrrhuphonia_ is domed, while that of _Rhamphocoelus brasilius_ is built in tall grass in marshy places. The two to four eggs are white, bluish, greenish, grey, salmon-coloured, or rich brown, being at times uniform, but generally blotched, spotted, freckled, lined, or scrolled with brown, lilac, red, purple, or black. _Procnias_ is said to lay three or four white eggs in holes in trees or in the soil, upon a bed of roots and plant-stems.[309]

Fam. XXXIV. PLOCEIDAE.–The Weaver-birds, closely allied to the above, and hardly to be distinguished from the _Fringillidae_ except by the tenth primary being distinctly developed, may be divided[310] into the Sub-families _Viduinae_, occurring in the Ethiopian, Indian, and Australian Regions, in which this quill is small {577}and falcate, and _Ploceinae_, peculiar to Africa and its islands–with the exception of the genera _Ploceus_ and _Ploceëlla_ of the Indian Region–in which it is larger. The former group includes the long-tailed Widow-birds, the red-beaked Wax-bills, and so forth; the latter the more typical Weaver-birds; Africa furnishing by far the greatest number of species. The bill is normally strong and conical, but is unusually long and slender in _Emblema_, and particularly stout with ridged culmen in _Amblyospiza_; the maxilla may be toothed, as in _Pyrenestes_, or festooned, as in _Spermestes_. The metatarsus is moderate, and the hind claw sometimes lengthened, as in _Icteropsis_. The rounded or pointed wings have very long secondaries, and the tail shews a slight fork; while in the breeding season the four median rectrices in the males of _Vidua_ and several allied genera are extraordinarily elongated, being then either broad or tapering, and reduced to threads at the extremity, or bare-shafted with racquet tips.[311] Crests are uncommon, hair-like plumes on the nape more frequent, while _Pyromelaena_ and _Urobrachya_ have a neck-frill in summer.

The coloration of these rather small birds is most striking, though the females are usually much duller than the males, which have in some cases a sober winter garb. _Vidua principalis_ is black and white; _Penthetria ardens_ is black with scarlet gorget; _Philetaerus socius_ is brown, buff, black, and white; _Zonaeginthus bellus_ is brown above, with transverse black lines and crimson rump, but silver grey below with black bars; _Hypochera ultramarina_ is entirely purplish-blue; _Sporaeginthus amandava_, the Amadavat, is chiefly crimson with white dots; _Munia oryzivora_, the "Java Sparrow," is blue-grey and black with white cheeks. _M. punctulata_, the Cowry- or Nutmeg-bird, is brown, {578}with white streaks above and spots below, a yellow rump, and a white middle to the under parts. _Poëphila mirabilis_, one of the Grass-finches, shews a beautiful combination of pale green, blue, lilac, scarlet, yellow, black, brown, and white; _Neochmia phaëton_ is crimson, brown, and black; _Foudia_ is generally crimson and black; _Hyphantornis cucullatus_ is golden-yellow, black, and chestnut; _Ploceus baya_ is yellow and brown; _Textor albirostris_ is entirely black. The bill is not uncommonly coral-red, as in _Estrelda_ and other "Wax-bills;" but it varies from red to horn-coloured in _Vidua_, and may be whitish, as in _Textor albirostris_, as well as black, grey, rose-tinted, brownish, orange, or nearly blue. The feet may also be red, brown, purplish, dusky, or flesh-coloured.

Weaver-birds are generally tame, and often approach habitations; the larger species frequenting woods and gardens, open country, sugar-cane fields, or reed-beds, but many of the smaller preferring grassy flats, bushy places, or even stony hills. They are usually social, and frequently pugnacious. The flight, though somewhat brief and heavy, is fairly rapid; _Chera_ and _Vidua_ rise with arched tail, and hover with flapping wings, at times soaring almost out of sight to descend again with great velocity. _Sycobrotus_ climbs especially well, _Donacicola_ hangs to the reeds like a Bunting, and indeed it is doubtful whether the Australian forms are not really generalized Finches. The usual utterance is a harsh churr, a shrill piping cry, a chattering or a twittering noise, often preceded by a single mournful note; but some species sing fairly well in chorus. The food, generally procured upon the ground, consists mainly of seeds, but is varied by insects–occasionally taken on the wing,–fruits, and flowers; while the birds play havoc with rice and other crops, often clinging to the stems until they have eaten every grain from the head.

The nest is almost invariably a large mass of roughish grass or flags, bristling with the thicker ends of the stalks; it is usually lined with finer stems, but sometimes with feathers, down, and wool, while sticks, twigs, roots, and the like may be added exteriorly. The fabric is normally "retort-shaped," that is to say, globular with a "spout" or tubular passage, which curves downwards either from the middle or from the top of one side; but some of the structures resemble flasks placed horizontally; others have little or no spout, or hang by a sort of rope; and occasionally the materials do not quite meet above. Weaver-birds, especially the more typical {579}species, commonly build in colonies, the most remarkable instance being that of _Philetaerus_, where an umbrella-shaped mass of sticks and straw is formed among the branches of a tree, and in its flat under surface holes for as many as three hundred nests are excavated. _Textor_ makes a somewhat similar joint fabric. In certain cases the hen is said to sit in the roughly-fashioned shell, and to receive the thin ends of the straws from her mate, as he, clinging to the outside, pushes them through with his beak; she then passes them through to him again, and so the process is repeated in true webster fashion. An inner partition is often made to prevent the eggs from rolling out. The structures are placed in trees or bushes, frequently overhanging water, in sugar-canes, reeds, foundations of Eagles' eyries, or–especially by the smaller species–in long herbage. Exceptionally they are found under eaves. _Ploceipasser mahali_ makes two "spouts," _Ploceus baya_ counterpoises its pensile nursery with lumps of clay. The males add to the fabric after their consorts begin to incubate, and are asserted to make nests to sit in; the hens occasionally lay together, though the cocks are not proved to be polygamous. _Munia_, _Stictospiza_, _Sporaeginthus_, and in fact most Indian and Australian forms, deposit from five to seven dull white eggs; _Ploceus_ lays two of a like description; _Ploceëlla_ two, which have a whitish or greyish ground with brown frecklings; the Ethiopian species about five, either plain white, blue, or green, or of the same colours, spotted and blotched with red or purplish-brown. In nests of _Hyphantornis_ and _Pyromelaena_ very diverse specimens are often found.

Fam. XXXV. ICTERIDAE.–This New World group comprises the "American Orioles" or "American Starlings," which are certainly not Orioles, though analogous to the Starlings, and allied through _Dolichonyx_ to the Buntings. From the _Fringillidae_ they are distinguished by the more elongated bill, which has no notch, and by the absence of rictal bristles. Dr. Sclater[312] recognises five Sub-families: _Cassicinae_, with long, straight, and often large bills, widening to a frontal shield; _Agelaeinae_, where they are conical with flattened culmen, being shortest in _Dolichonyx_ and _Molobrus_; _Sturnellinae_, where they are more slender; _Icterinae_ and _Quiscalinae_, where the culmen is rounded, the length and curvature varying more than elsewhere. _Aphobus_ and _Curaeus_ have grooved mandibles, _Gymnostinops_ a naked space at their base, _Clypeïcterus_ {580}a horny swelling there. The legs are stout, being long in the terrestrial Agelaeinae, Sturnellinae, and Quiscalinae, and not much shorter in the Icterinae and Cassicinae; _Dolichonyx_ has the middle toe, and the Sturnellinae the hallux elongated. The wings are long or moderate, being often pointed with far-extended outer secondaries in the Sturnellinae. The tail varies in length and form, but is much graduated in the Quiscalinae (Boat-tails), which usually carry it in flight with the outer feathers uppermost; it has acuminate rectrices in the Sturnellinae, _Leistes_, and _Dolichonyx_, while in the last-named it is forked. _Cassiculus_, _Eurycorystes_, and some species of _Ostinops_ have crests, the male of _Cassidix_ a neck-frill, _Lampropsar_ erect frontal plumes, the Sturnellinae bristly crown-feathers, _Hypopyrrhus_, _Curaeus_, and _Aphobus_ lanceolate feathers on the head. _Gymnomystax_ possesses naked orbits.

The _Cassicinae_, or Cassiques, are sometimes uniform black, sometimes black relieved by chestnut, yellow, green, or scarlet; the bill being frequently white, instead of the usual black or brown. The Agelaeinae are generally black, varied with red and yellow, _Dolichonyx oryzivorus_, the Bobolink, being, however, black, brown, buff, and white, with a duller plumage in winter. The Sturnellinae are brown, variegated with black; having scarlet or canary yellow under parts, and in _Sturnella magna_, the "Meadow-Lark," a black gorget. The Icterinae (all but one of which belong to the extensive genus _Icterus_) are glossy black, with yellow, bay, or orange patches–especially upon the rump and lower surface–and often some white on the wing. The Quiscalinae are black, occasionally with metallic gloss, and scarlet or brown markings. The females are commonly similar to the males, especially in the Cassicinae, but are sometimes comparatively sombre. _Agelaeus phoeniceus_, the "Red-winged Starling," several males of which have been captured in Britain, _Icterus baltimore_, the "Baltimore Oriole" and _Quiscalus versicolor_, the "Crow-Blackbird," are good examples of their respective groups. The curious resemblance of _Sturnella_ and _Macronyx_ has already been mentioned (p. 500).

{581}

Some of the Family are large birds for Passeres, _Gymnostinops_, for instance, being the size of a Rook; they are commonly gregarious, and frequent forests or wooded country, the Agelaeinae and Sturnellinae in particular preferring open grassy places and marshes, and all seeming fond of the neighbourhood of water. The Cassicinae only range from South Mexico to Paraguay and Bolivia; but the other Sub-families occupy most of America, except the extreme north, the Quiscalinae extending to Chili and Argentina, the Sturnellinae to Patagonia. Several species are peculiar to the Antilles. The flight is sufficiently strong and swift, flocks of _Agelaeus_ and _Quiscalus_ performing evolutions like Starlings; while these forms, _Dolichonyx_, _Scolephagus_, _Xanthocephalus_, and others roost in huge companies on migration. These lively, active, and fairly tame birds differ considerably in habits, _Dolichonyx_ sitting continually on fences, clinging to plant-stems, or hovering in the air, _Sturnella_ sailing or fluttering with jerky movements, the Icterinae and Cassicinae being particularly accustomed to perch, and many forms walking well or even gracefully. The members of the genus _Icterus_ have melodious voices, those of _I. vulgaris_ and _I. baltimore_ being especially rich and varied; they are therefore favourite cage-birds. _Dolichonyx_, perhaps the finest of American songsters, often sings in chorus; _Sturnella_ produces tuneful, wild, but not powerful notes; the Cassicinae utter loud discordant cries or sweeter strains; while many forms chatter, chuckle, squeak, scream, or whistle more or less harshly, whether in the air, in the trees, or on the ground. The food in the breeding season consists almost entirely of insects, their larvae, and small molluscs; but fruit is also eaten, and havoc wrought in maize- and corn-fields, _Quiscalus_ even pulling up the shooting blades. The terrestrial species often {582}scratch amongst the soil, but the Icterinae and Cassicinae rarely feed upon the ground.

The Agelaeinae build cup-shaped nests of grass, sedge, or rushes, sometimes lined with hair, in bushes or reeds, generally in damp or marshy spots; and lay five or six white, drab, greenish, bluish, or reddish eggs, with purple, black, red, or brown blotches, dots, and lines: the Quiscalinae deposit similar eggs in rougher structures of twigs, grass, and the like, placed in tree-forks or bushes. Both these groups often form societies. _Sturnella_ hides its deep fabric in grass or rushes, the eggs being speckled rather than spotted; the Icterinae, or "Hang-nests," usually weave pensile nests of plant-stems, tendrils, grasses, or even rags, lined with wool, down, and so forth, which are rarely domed, and generally contain five or six eggs of a more delicate colouring than those of their kindred, varied by marblings, zigzags, streaks, and spots of brown, purple, black, or red. The Cassicinae commonly join in colonies and hang their elaborate, purse-like nurseries of grass or palm-fibres, _Tillandsia_, _Bromelia_, or lichens, lined with feathers, from branches above water; the two to five eggs are plain white, or greenish- bluish- or reddish-white, blotched, dotted, dashed, or scrawled with purplish- or reddish-brown and black.[313]

The gregarious Cow-birds (_Molobrus_), included in the Agelaeinae, lay eggs varying from white to pinkish, greenish, bluish, or brownish, often spotted or streaked with red, brown, and grey; one or more of these are by most species foisted in Cuckoo fashion upon other birds, the young of which disappear at an early date. It is a curious fact that _M. rufo-axillaris_ is ordinarily parasitic on its congener _M. badius_, which itself seizes and uses other birds' nests. Many eggs are destroyed by the males, or are dropped promiscuously by the females, several of the latter often laying together. Cow-birds perch on cattle or follow the plough for insects, and utter ringing screams in concert.[314]

Fam. XXXVI. FRINGILLIDAE.–The Finches are small birds very closely allied to the _Tanagridae_ and the _Ploceidae_; while the Buntings are here included in the Family, though often separated as _Emberizidae_. The most evident points of distinction in the {583}last-named are the considerable deflection of the posterior portion of the angular gape and the bony knob often present on the palate; a gap, moreover, commonly occurs between the edges of the maxilla and the mandible. Extreme forms are thus easily recognised, but it seems almost impossible to draw an exact line of demarcation, even when the more Lark-like nest of Buntings and their streaky eggs are taken into consideration. The _Fringillidae_ predominate in the Palaearctic Region, but are fairly plentiful elsewhere, except in the Australian Region, whence few are as yet recorded; many forms, however, have very limited ranges; while some are peculiar to certain islands, as _Geospiza_, _Camarhynchus_, and _Cactornis_ to the Galápagos, _Passer jagoënsis_ to the Cape Verds, _Chaunoproctus_ to the Bonin Islands and _Telespiza_ to the Laysan group, _Nesospiza_ to Tristan da Cunha, _Melopyrrha_ to Cuba, _Rhynchostruthus_ and _Passer insularis_ to Socotra.

The bill is usually stout and cone-shaped, often with a notched maxilla, occasionally with a ridged culmen; it is enormous in _Geospiza_, _Camarhynchus_, _Chaunoproctus_, and some other forms, and highly developed in _Coccothraustes_, _Pyrrhula_, and elsewhere; but is at times either remarkably short, or longer and more slender, as in _Cactornis_, _Chrysomitris_, and _Carduelis_. Frequently it is curved, with overhanging tip, while a peculiar crossing of the mandibles at their extremities marks the genus _Loxia_. An excessive summer growth has been especially noticed in Redpolls, which is worn down by hard food in winter. The beak is seldom abnormal in Buntings. The metatarsus is moderate; but in _Calcarius_, _Plectrophenax_, _Nesospiza_, and _Chamaeospiza_ the hind claw is elongated, as is the mid-claw in _Phonipara_. The wings, which have a minute outer primary, vary from very long, as in _Hesperiphona_, to short as in _Passer_, and from pointed, as in _Plectrophenax_, to rounded as in _Ammodramus_; the secondaries are shaped like a bill-hook in _Coccothraustes_, while the inner are much lengthened in _Emberiza fucata_. The tail is fairly normal, but may be long or decidedly short, square, round, graduated, or forked; the rectrices are unusually acute in _Spiza_, _Coryphospiza_, and _Emberizoïdes_. Many species possess a crop. Bristles generally occur at the gape, and the nostrils are concealed by feathers or by a membrane.

{584}

The sexes may be similarly coloured or very different, the hues being commonly sober, but sometimes particularly brilliant. _Cardinalis_, _Paroaria_, _Gubernatrix_, _Melophus_, _Pyrrhuloxia_, _Schistospiza_, _Lophospingus_, and _Tiaris_ have fine crests; _Catamblyrhynchus_ exhibits stiff crown-feathers. The feet are usually dull, but occasionally pinkish, as in _Embernagra_ and _Pycnorhamphus_; the bill may be blackish, yellowish, dusky, or even red, as in _Cardinalis_ (except one form). Of British species, the Greenfinch (_Ligurinus chloris_), the Goldfinch (_Carduelis elegans_), the Sparrow (_Passer domesticus_), the Chaffinch (_Fringilla coelebs_), the Brambling (_F. montifringilla_), the Linnet (_Linota cannabina_), the Redpoll (_Aegiothus rufescens_), the Bullfinch (_Pyrrhula europaea_), the Reed-Bunting (_Emberiza schoeniclus_), the Corn-Bunting (_E. miliaria_), and the Yellow Hammer (_E. citrinella_) hardly need description; while several others occur more rarely in our islands or breed with us in limited numbers, such as the Hawfinch (_Coccothraustes vulgaris_), which is bay, black and white; the Siskin (_Chrysomitris spinus_) and the Serin (_Serinus hortulanus_), which are chiefly greenish-yellow; the Pine-Grosbeak (_Pyrrhula enucleator_) and the Crossbill (_Loxia curvirostra_), which are mainly red in the adult male, and respectively yellow and greenish-orange in the female; the Ortolan Bunting (_Emberiza hortulana_), which is brown, green, and yellow; and the Snow-Bunting (_Plectrophenax nivalis_), with its black, chestnut, and {585}white plumage, that becomes black and white in summer. The Rose-Finches (_Carpodacus_) of the Eastern Palaearctic, the Nearctic, and the Indian Regions exhibit fine crimson or rosy tints; the Central and South American _Pheucticus_, and the Western North American _Hesperiphona_, much black and yellow; the Cardinals (_Cardinalis_), of North America, Venezuela, and Trinidad, bright red with black forehead and throat; _Paroaria_, which replaces the last-named genus southwards, somewhat like colours. _Guiraca_ of most of America, except the extreme north and south, is mainly blue; _Cyanospiza cyanea_, ranging from the Eastern United States to Panama, is even more brilliant; while the Painted Bunting (_C. ciris_), of similar range, shews a beautiful combination of blue, red, brown, and yellowish-green. _Volatinia_ of Central and South America is black; _Geospiza_, _Camarhynchus_, and _Cactornis_ are the same, or decidedly dull; _Petronia brachydactyla_ and _Passer simplex_, of the deserts from North Africa to Persia, resemble the sand in tint. The wild Canary (_Serinus canarius_) of Madeira, the Azores, and the Canaries–not to be confounded with the Cape Canary (_S. canicollis_)–is greenish above with brown striations, and yellowish below. Finally, many sober-hued North American genera, such as _Pipilo_, _Peucaea_, and _Junco_, lead up to the brown-streaked Bunting forms.

The crimson tints exhibited by the adult male Linnet, when in breeding plumage, afford a well-known instance of seasonal change of colour. It is in consequence indifferently called the Red, Brown, or Grey Linnet.

{586}The members of this Family generally frequent wooded districts and open grassy spots, Finches on the whole preferring the former, Buntings the latter; a few occupy sandy deserts; _Petronia_ haunts rocks; _Ammodramus_ resorts to the shore. This bird clings to the reeds like a Tit, a habit well-known to be shared by various other marsh-loving species. _Camarhynchus_ and _Geospiza_ accompany flocks of Doves to dry bushy and rocky spots near the sea in the Galápagos. The majority are active and lively birds, social and seldom shy, which flock in winter to feed or roost; while the pugnacity of the Sparrow is rather exceptional. They not only dust themselves in dry spots, but bathe freely. _Montifringilla_ breeds in mountainous places, _Leucosticte_ and _Plectrophenax_ in similar situations, or on rocky Arctic shores. The flight is ordinarily strong and rapid, some species of _Sycalis_, _Phrygilus_, and _Calamospiza_ soaring, and descending with outspread wings; _Cactornis_ climbs with ease about the prickly pear (_Opuntia_), while many Finches hop well, and others run readily and swiftly. The song is often exceptionally fine, as in the Canary, Linnet, Cardinal, American Song-Sparrow (_Melospiza_), _Chondestes_, _Zonotrichia_, and elsewhere; the Bullfinch in the wild state has a plaintive pipe; while the chirp of Sparrows may be contrasted with the Cricket-like strain of _Petronia brachydactyla_, the whistling cry of the Snow-finch (_Montifringilla nivalis_), the long-drawn note of the Corn-Bunting, or the sibilant sound at times made by the Crossbill. The food consists mainly of seeds, but other fruits, buds, leaves, insects and their larvae, are also eaten, not to mention peas, crocus flowers, and the like; Crossbills and some other forms cleverly extract the seeds of fir-cones, _Camarhynchus_ and _Geospiza_ scratch about upon the ground, and _Cactornis_ devours seeds and flowers of the _Opuntia_. The nest varies from the huge, untidy domed mass of straw and feathers fashioned by Sparrows to the small compact cup of moss, wool, hair, down, lichen, and such materials, formed by the Goldfinch, Redpoll, or Chaffinch; Hawfinches and Bullfinches make shallow structures chiefly composed of twigs and lined with roots; the British Buntings build with grass and horse-hair if possible; _Phonipara_ and other species sometimes make covered fabrics; _Sycalis pelzelni_ occasionally utilizes nests of other birds. The site may be in a tree, bush, rock, building, or on the ground, some forms nidificating under cover, some in the open. Sparrows have black, grey, and white eggs; those of {587}the Linnet, the Goldfinch, and their allies are blue, bluish-white, or greenish, with reddish or brownish spots; those of Buntings are whitish, greenish, or ruddy, with brown, blackish, or rufous marks, ordinarily including streaks and scrawls; those of _Petronia brachydactyla_ are white with blackish blotches; those of the Hawfinch green with olive and umber spots or lines; those of the Snow-finch white; those of _Spiza guiraca_ and some other American species plain bluish or greenish.

With the Fringillidae this volume ends, according to the Classification which has been here adopted; but it may be well to take the opportunity of again reminding the reader that the "Families" of Oscines are not of equal rank to those of the Orders which precede them; and that, as regards the arrangement of these "Families," few writers will be found to agree; the truth being that there never can be a perfectly satisfactory linear system, since affinities point in so many different directions. When all these affinities have been finally investigated by anatomists, if ever that time should come, they may very possibly necessitate an alphabetical arrangement of the groups, with indications of their various relationships under each head.

{589}INDEX

Every reference is to the page: words in italics are names of genera or
species; figures in thick type refer to an illustration; f. = and in
following page or pages; n. = note.

Abbott, on Penguins, 57 n., 59 n.
_Abdimia abdimii_, 99
Abdomen, 20
Abou-Hannes, 102
_Aburria_, 195;
_A. carunculata_, 197
_Acanthidositta_, 472;
_A. chloris_, 472, 545
_Acanthiza_, 355, 514, 518
_Acanthochaera_, 566
_Acanthopneuste_, 514
_Acanthoptila_, 502
_Acanthorhynchus_, 565
_Accentor_, 509, 510;
_A. collaris_, 512;
_A. modularis_, 512
Accentor, alpine, 512, 517
Accentorinae, 509
_Accipiter_, 156, 157;
plumage of young, 157;
_A. bicolor_, 158;
_A. chilensis_, 159;
_A. chionogaster_, 158;
_A. cirrocephalus_, 159;
_A. collaris_, 159;
_A. cooperi_, 159;
_A. erythrauchen_, 158;
_A. erythrocnemis_, 158;
_A. fuscus_, 159;
_A. guttatus_, 159;
_A. hartlaubi_, 158;
_A. madagascariensis_, 159;
_A. melanoleucus_, 158;
_A. minullus_, 159;
_A. nisoïdes_, 158;
_A. nisus_, 157, 158;
_A. ovampensis_, 158;
_A. pectoralis_, 159;
_A. pileatus_, 150, 159;
_A. rhodogaster_, 158;
_A. rubricollis_, 158;
_A. rufiventris_, 158;
_A. subniger_, 159;
_A. tinus_, 159;
_A. ventralis_, 158;
_A. virgatus_, 158
Accipitres, 137 f., 140 f., 397;
cere, 11;
claws on manus, 48;
powder-down, 147
Accipitrinae, 146, 147, 153
Accipitrine, 141, 146, 156, 157
_Aceros_, 390;
_A. nipalensis_, 393
_Acestrura_, 438
Acetabulum, 9, 9
_Acomus_, 199, 215;
_A. erythrophthalmus_, 215;
_A. inornatus_, 215;
_A. pyronotus_, 215
_Acredula_, 538-541
_Acridotheres_, 559-561;
_A. cristatellus_, 559
_Acrocephalus_, 515-518
Acromyodi, 467
_Acropternis_, 490
_Acrulocercus_, 564-567;
_A. apicalis_, 565;
_A. bishopi_, 565;
_A. braccatus_, 565;
_A. nobilis_, 565
_Acryllium_, 199, 201;
_A. vulturinum_, 204
_Actiornis anglicus_, fossil, 86
_Actitis hypoleucus_, 286;
_A. macularius_, 286
Adams, on _Tringa maculata_, 281 n.
_Adelomyia_, 427
Adjutant, 96, 97
_Aechmophorus_, 49;
_A. major_, 53;
_A. occidentalis_, 53
_Aechmorhynchus cancellatus_, 283;
_A. parvirostris_, 283
_Aedon_, 517, 518
_Aedonopsis_, 513
_Aegialitis_, 268, 269;
_A. asiatica_, 274;
_A. bicincta_, 274;
_A. bifrontata_, 274;
_A. cantiana_, 273;
_A. curonica_, 273;
_A. falklandica_, 271;
_A. hiaticola_, 273, 273;
_A. monachus_, 274;
_A. nivosa_, 274;
_A. novae zealandiae_, 274;
_A. placida_, 274;
_A. sanctae helenae_, 274;
_A. semipalmata_, 274;
_A. vocifera_, 274
_Aegialornis_, fossil, 315, 426
_Aegiothus rufescens_, 584
_Aegithalus_, 538-540
_Aegithina_, 505, 506
_Aegotheles_, 415, 417, 419;
_A. wallacii_, 417
_Aeluredus_, 550, 551;
_A. maculosus_, 551;
_A. viridis_, 549, 551
_Aepyornis_, 43 f.
Aepyornithes, 26, 43 f.
Aepyornithidae, structure, etc., 43 f.
_Aepypodius_, 190 f.;
_A. arfakianus_, 192;
_A. bruijni_, 192
_Aesacus magnirostris_, 297; {590}
_A. recurvirostris_, 297
_Aesalon columbarius_, 178;
_A. regulus_, 177;
_A. ruficollis_, 178;
_A. typus_, 178
_Aethiopsar_, 561
_Aethopyga_, 569
_Aethorhynchus_, 504-506
_Aex_, 111, 112;
_A. galericulata_, 114, 133;
_A. sponsa_, 133
Aftershaft, of feathers, origin of, 3;
absent, in Alcedinidae, 383;
in _Apteryx_, 39;
in Hornbill, 390;
in _Mesites_, 187;
in Ostrich, 27;
in Owls, 399;
in _Pandion_, 180;
in Rheidae, 30;
in Struthionidae, 27
Agami, 258
_Agamia agami_, 91 f.
_Agapornis_, 364, 368;
_A. cana_, 368;
_A. pullaria_, 368;
_A. roseicollis_, 368;
_A. taranta_, 368
Agelaeinae, 579 f.
_Agelaeus_, 581;
_A. phoeniceus_, 580
_Agelastes_, 201;
_A. meleagrides_, 205
_Aglaeactis_, 437
_Agnopterus_, fossil, 108
_Agriornis_, 473, 475
Air-cells, in _Sula_, 72
Air-sac, 21;
in Tetraoninae, 201
_Aithurus_, 426, 430;
_A. polytmus_, 433, 433
_Ajaja_, young, 105;
_A. rosea_, 105
Ala, 21
_Alaemon_, 497, 498;
_A. alaudipes_, 497
Alar bar, 21
Alaska, to which region belonging? 16
_Alauda_, 497;
_A. arvensis_, 496, 497
Alaudidae, 494, 496 f.;
habits, 498
_Alaudula raytal_, 498
Albatros, 59 f., 61-63, 81, 148;
Wandering, 63 f., 64
Albinism, its cause, 4 n.
_Alca_, 315, 320;
_A. impennis_, 315, 320, 321;
_A. torda_, 320 f.
Alcae, 268, 315 f.
Alcedinidae, 376, 382 f.;
habits, 383 f.
Alcedininae, 382, 386
_Alcedo_, 383;
_A. beryllina_, 387;
_A. ispida_, 387
Alcidae, 49, 268, 315 f.;
bill-sheath and outgrowth shed, 5 n., 317 f.;
habits, 315 f.
_Alcippe_, 503
_Alcurus_, 504
_Alcyone_, 383, 384;
toes, 10, 383;
_A. azurea_, 386
Alectorides, 243
_Alectoroenas_, 326, 346;
_A. madagascariensis_, 346;
_A. nitidissima_, 346;
_A. pulcherrima_, 346;
_A. rodericana_, fossil, 350;
_A. sganzini_, 346
Alectoromorphae, 182
Alectoropodes, 186
_Alectrurus_, 473, 475, 477;
_A. risorius_, 473, 474;
_A. tricolor_, 473, 475
_Alethe_, 513
_Aletornis_, fossil, 256
Alexandrine–see Parrot
Alisphenoid, 11
Allantois, 21
Altham, E. and H., on Dodo, 330
Altrices, 21
Alucinae, 398 n.
Alula spuria, 9, 20
Amadavat, 577
_Amaurornis_, 249;
_A. phoenicura_, 249
_Amazilia_, 435;
_A. cyanura_, 435;
_A. pristina_, 435
_Amblyornis_, 551;
_A. flavifrons_, 549;
_A. inornata_, 549, 551 f.;
_A. subalaris_, 549, 552
_Amblyospiza_, 577
Âme damnée, 66
Ameghino, on "Stereornithes," 44
_Ammodramus_, 583, 586
_Ammomanes_, 497, 498
_Ammoperdix_, 202;
_A. bonhami_, 228;
_A. cholmleyi_, viii;
_A. heyi_, 228
Amnion, 21
_Ampeliceps_, 559
Ampelidae, 529 f.
_Ampelion_, 480
_Ampelis_, 529;
_A. cedrorum_, 530;
_A. garrulus_, 529, 530;
_A. phoenicoptera_, 530
Amphicoelous, 6
Amphimorphae, 105
_Amphipelargus_, fossil, 99
_Amurolimnas_, 244
_Amytis_, 517
_Anaeretes_, 474
Analogous, meaning, 5
_Anarhynchus_, 268;
_A. frontalis_, 274, 274
_Anas_, 112;
fossil, 136;
_A. aberti_, 127;
_A. boscas_, 114, 127;
skull, 11;
_A. cristata_, 128;
_A. diazi_, 127;
_A. fulvigula_, 127;
_A. laysanensis_, 127;
_A. luzonica_, 127;
_A. maculosa_, 127;
_A. melleri_, 127;
_A. obscura_, 127;
_A. poecilorhyncha_, 127;
_A. sparsa_, 127;
_A. specularis_, 128;
_A. superciliosa_, 127;
_A. undulata_, 127;
_A. wyvilliana_, 127;
_A. zonorhyncha_, 127
_Anastomus_, 95, 97;
sifting apparatus of bill, 12;
_A. lamelligerus_, 97;
_A. oscitans_, 97
Anatidae, 108, 111 f.;
habits, 113 f.;
shed wing-quills simultaneously, 4;
young, 114
Anatinae, 111, 112, 123
_Ancistrops_, 484
_Andigena_, 456;
_A. bailloni_, 456;
_A. laminirostris_, 453, 456
Andrews, on _Aepyornis_ and _Mullerornis_, 43 n.;
on fossils from Madagascar, 136, 137 n.; {591}
on "Stereornithes," 44
_Androdon_, 426;
_A. aequatorialis_, 432 f.
_Andropadus_, 504
Angular, 11
Ani, 359;
habits, 359;
White, 359
Anna, 242
_Anodorhynchus_, 364, 371
Anomalopteryginae, 42
_Anomalopteryx_, viii, 42;
_A. parva_, 42
_Anomalornis_, viii
_Anorhinus_, 391
_Anous_, 301, 303;
_A. caeruleus_, 311;
_A. cinereus_, 311;
_A. galapagensis_, 311;
_A. hawaiiensis_, 311;
_A. leucocapillus_, 311;
_A. stolidus_, 310;
_A. tenuirostris_, 311
_Anseranas_, 111-113;
_A. semipalmata_, 135
Anseranatinae, 111, 135
Anseres, 108 f., 110 f., 112;
bill-sheath, 11;
claws on manus, 48;
fossil, 136;
fusion of tracheal rings, 13;
lamellae of bill, 12;
_A. albifrons_, 132;
_A. brachyrhynchus_, 132;
_A. cinereus_, 132;
_A. erythropus_, 132;
_A. gambeli_, 132;
_A. grandis_, 132;
_A. indicus_, 132;
_A. middendorfi_, 132;
_A. rubrirostris_, 132;
_A. segetum_, 132
Anseriformes, 70, 108 f.
Anserinae, 111, 112, 131 f.
Ant-bird, 488 f.
Anterior limbs, 8
_Antigone australasiana_, 252, 254;
_A. collaris_, 254
Anthinae, 494, 498 f.;
habits, 500 f.
_Anthobaphes_, 569
_Anthocincla_, 469;
_A. phayrii_, 470
_Anthornis_, 565, 567
_Anthracoceros coronatus_, 395;
_A. malabaricus_, 391
_Anthropoïdes_, 252;
_A. virgo_, 255 f.
_Anthus_, 499;
_A. antarcticus_, 499;
_A. bertheloti_, 499;
_A. bogotensis_, 499;
_A. campestris_, 500;
_A. cervinus_, 500;
_A. chloris_, 500;
_A. correndera_, 501;
_A. obscurus_, 500;
_A. pratensis_, 500;
_A. richardi_, 500;
_A. rosaceus_, 500;
_A. rufulus_, 501;
_A. spipoletta_, 500;
_A. tenellus_, 500;
_A. trivialis_, 500
_Antrostomus carolinensis_, 417;
_A. vociferus_, 417
_Anumbius_, 484, 487, 525;
_A. acuticaudus_, 477;
nest, 487
_Apatornis celer_, 49
_Aphanapteryx_, 244;
_A. broecki_, fossil, 251
_Aphelocoma_, 554
_Aphobus_, 579, 580
_Aphriza virgata_, 276
_Aplonis_, 559, 561
_Aprosmictus_, 364
_Aptenodytes_, 55;
_A. forsteri_, 55, 56;
_A. patagonica_, 57;
_A. pennanti_, 56
Apteria, or unfeathered spaces, 2
Apteryges, 26, 38 f.;
finger, 9
Apterygidae, structure, etc., 38 f.
Apterygiformes, of Parker, 38
_Apteryx_, 182;
feathers, 41;
pelvis, 9;
_A. australis_, 39, 39;
_A. haasti_, 39;
_A. lawryi_, 39;
_A. mantelli_, 39;
_A. maximus_, 39;
_A. occidentalis_, sub-species, 39;
_A. oweni_, 39
_Aptornis_, 244;
_A. defossor_, fossil, 251;
_A. otidiformis_, fossil, 251
_Aquila_, 146-148, 160, 161 f.;
fossil, 181;
_A. adalberti_, 163;
_A. chrysaëtus_, 161;
_A. clanga_, 162;
_A. fulvescens_, 163;
_A. hastata_, 162;
_A. mogilnik_, 163;
_A. naevioïdes_, 163;
_A. nipalensis_, 162;
_A. pomarina_, 162;
_A. rapax_, 163;
_A. verreauxi_, 163;
_A. vindhiana_, 163;
_A. wahlbergi_, 162
Aquilinae, 146, 159 f.
Aquiline, 147
_Ara_, 363, 364, 371;
_A. ararauna_, 371;
_A. chloroptera_, 371;
_A. macao_, 371;
_A. militaris_, 371;
_A. severa_, 371
Arabia, to which Region belonging? 16
Araçari, 456
_Arachnothera_, 569;
_A. chrysogenys_, 569;
_A. magna_, 570
Aramidae, 243, 256 f.;
habits, 257
_Aramides_, 247;
_A. ypecaha_, 247 f.
_Aramus pictus_, 256 f.;
_A. scolopaceus_, 257
_Arboricola_, 199, 222;
_A. ardens_, 222;
_A. chloropus_, 222;
_A. javanica_, 222;
_A. torqueola_, 222
Arch of vertebra, 6
_Archaeopteryx_, 2;
claws, 9;
fingers, 9;
rib, 6;
teeth, 12;
vertebrae, 6;
_A. lithographica_, 23 f., 24;
_A. macrura_, 25;
_A. siemensi_, viii
Archaeornithes, a sub-class, 23 f.;
difference from Neornithes, 25
_Archibuteo_, 147, 164;
_A. ferrugineus_, 164;
_A. hemiptilopus_, 164;
_A. lagopus_, 164;
_A. sancti johannis_, 164;
_A. strophiatus_, 164
Arctogaea, 15
_Arctonetta_, 114;
_A. fischeri_, 119
_Ardea_, 91;
fossil, 95;
young, 93;
_A. agami_, 91 f.;
_A. alba_, 92;
_A. ardesiaca_, 91;
_A. asha_, 91;
_A. bubulcus_, 88, 91;
_A. caerulea_, 91;
_A. candidissima_, 92;
_A. cinerea_, 92, 93;
_A. cocoi_, 93;
_A. coromanda_, 91;
_A. egretta_, 92;
_A. garzetta_, 92;
_A. goliath_, 89, 93;
_A. greyi_, 91;
_A. gularis_, 91;
_A. herodias_, 93;
_A. nigripes_, 92;
_A. occidentalis_, 93;
_A. pacifica_, 91;
_A. pealii_, 91;
_A. picata_, 91;
_A. purpurea_, 93;
_A. ralloïdes_, 91;
_A. rufa_, 91;
_A. sacra_, 91;
_A. tricolor_, 91;
_A. würdemanni_, 93 n.
Ardeae, 70 f., 86 f.
Ardeidae, 70, 86 f.;
habits, 87 f.
Ardeinae, 86
_Ardeola ralloïdes_, 91 {592}
_Ardetta_, 87, 88, 89;
_A. cinnamomea_, 89;
_A. minuta_, 89
_Argillornis_, fossil, 86
_Argus_, 199;
_A. ocellatus_, 208
Argus, 217
_Argusianus_, 199, 200;
_A. argus_, 207;
_A. bipunctatus_, 207;
_A. greyi_, 207
_Argya_, 502-504
_Arses_, 507
_Artamia_, 533;
_A. bicolor_, 533;
_A. leucocephala_, 533
Artamidae, 530 f.
_Artamides_, 525
_Artamus_, 494, 531;
powder-down, 531
Articular, 11;
process of vertebra, 6
_Arundinax_, 513
_Asarcornis_, 112;
_A. scutulata_, 134
_Asio_, 399, 401-403;
fossil, 415;
_A. accipitrinus_, 400, 406 f.;
_A. americanus_, 406;
_A. capensis_, 406;
_A. grammicus_, 406;
_A. madagascariensis_, 406;
_A. mexicanus_, 406;
_A. otus_, 402, 406;
_A. stygius_, 406;
_A. wilsonianus_, 406
_Aspatha_, 380;
_A. gularis_, 381
_Asthenopterus minutus_, fossil, 181
_Astrapia_, 544, 549, 550;
_A. nigra_, 545;
_A. splendidissima_, 545;
_A. stephaniae_, 544, 546
_Astur_, 156, 166;
_A. alphonsi_, fossil, 181;
_A. atricapillus_, 157;
_A. badius_, 156 f.;
_A. brutus_, 157;
_A. cinereus_, 157;
_A. franciscae_, 157;
_A. hensti_, 157;
_A. leucosomus_, 157;
_A. novae hollandiae_, 156, 157;
_A. palumbarius_, 156;
_A. pusillus_, 157;
_A. tachiro_, 156 f.;
_A. trinotatus_, 157;
_A. trivirgatus_, 157
_Asturina_, 166 f.;
_A. nitida_, 167;
_A. plagiata_, 166 f.
_Asturinula monogrammica_, 156
_Asyndesmus torquatus_, 461
_Atelornis_, 378;
_A. crossleyi_, 378;
_A. pittoïdes_, 378
Atlas, 5, 390
Atmore, on Secretary-bird, 142
_Atrichornis_, 491, 493;
_A. clamosa_, 493;
_A. rufescens_, 493
Atrichornithidae, 491, 493
_Attagis chimborazensis_, 296;
_A. gayi_, 296;
_A. malouina_, 296
_Atticora_, 523;
_A. cyanoleuca_, 525
_Attila_, 479
Attilinae, 479 f.
Audubon, on Humming-birds, 432
_Augastes_, 432;
_A. lumachellus_, 432
Auk, 49, 54, 268, 315 f., 316;
habits, 315 f.;
Great, 315, 317, 320, 321;
Little, 316, 321;
Parrot, 318;
Razorbill–see Razorbill
Auklet, Cassin's, 318;
Crested, 318;
Knob-billed, 317;
Least, 317, 318;
Rhinoceros, 317 f.;
Whiskered, 318
_Aulacorhamphus_, 453, 456 f.;
_A. prasinus_, 455;
_A. wagleri_, 455
_Aulia_, 480
Auriculars, 20
_Auriparus_, 538-540
Australasia, as a Region, 15
Australian Region, 15 f.;
its contents, 16
Austro-Columbia, 15
Austro-Coraces, 531 n., 557 n.
Autumn moult, 4 f.
Aves, as a Class, 23
Avestruz, 30
Avocet, 278
_Avocetta_, 268
_Avocettula recurvirostris_, 433
Axis, 5
Azara, on Toucan, 454

Back, 20
_Badiostes_, fossil, 415
Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, on _Rhynchops_, 304 n.;
on _Melanerpes_, 461 n.
Baker, 486
_Balaeniceps_, 86, 87;
_B. rex_, 93, 94
Balaenicipitinae, 86
_Balearica_, 251, 252;
_B. chrysopelargus_, 256;
_B. gibbericeps_, 256;
_B. pavonina_, 255, 256
_Bambusicola fytchii_, 218;
_B. sonorivox_, 219;
_B. thoracica_, 219
_Baptornis_, 25, 46, 47
_Barbatula_, 450;
_B. minuta_, 450;
_B. pusilla_, 449
Barbet, 445, 448 f.;
habits, 448 f.
Barbicels, 3
Barbs, 2, 3;
absence of, 3
Barbules, 2, 3
Bargander, 128
Barrel of feathers, or quill, 3
Barrère, on _Trochilus_, 426
Barrett-Hamilton, on _Sterna longipennis_, 313 n.
Bartlett, A. D., on _Catheturus_, 192 n.;
on Flamingo ejecting blood-like liquid, 86 n.;
on Hornbill, 392 n.;
on moult of Penguin, 55 n.;
on _Plotus_, 81 n.;
on _Rhinochetus_, 263 n., 265 n.
Bartlett, E., on _Furnarius_, 486;
on _Mesites_, 187
_Bartramia longicauda_, 285 f.
_Baryphthengus_, 380
_Basileuterus_, 574
_Basilornis_, 559
Basitemporal, 11
Bastard wing, 9, 20
_Batara_, 488, 489
Bates, on _Eurypyga_, 266;
on Humming-birds, 432
_Batis_, 509
_Batrachostomus_, 415-417, 419
_Baza_, 146, 173;
_B. borneensis_, 173;
_B. ceylonensis_, 173;
_B. cuculoïdes_, 173;
_B. erythrothorax_, 173; {593}
_B. leucopais_, 173;
_B. lophotes_, 173;
_B. madagascariensis_, 173;
_B. magnirostris_, 173;
_B. reinwardti_, 173;
_B. rufa_, 173;
_B. subcristata_, 173;
_B. sumatrensis_, 173;
_B. timorlaensis_, 173;
_B. verreauxi_, 173
Beak, 11 f.
Bearcoot, 162
Beddard, on trachea of Paradise-bird, 545 n.;
on _Zosterops_, 568
Bee-eater, 376, 387 f., 389;
habits, 388;
Blue-tailed, 389
Belding, on Harlequin Duck, 120
Bell-bird, 482, 482, 567, 567 n.
Belly, 20
Bendire, on habits of _Canachites_, 236
_Berenicornis_, 391, 393;
_B. comatus_, 393
Bergut, 162
Berlepsch, on Humming-birds, 432
_Bernicla_, 131;
_B. brenta_, 131;
_B. canadensis_, 131 f.;
_B. hutchinsi_, 132;
_B. leucopsis_, 131;
_B. minima_, 132;
_B. nigricans_, 131;
_B. occidentalis_, 132;
_B. ruficollis_, 131, 132
_Bernieria_, 503
Bevies, 221
_Bhringa_, 528
Bhund-Moorg, 208
_Bias_, 506
Biconcave vertebrae, in _Ichthyornis_, and probably in _Archaeopteryx_,
6, 49;
perhaps in _Enaliornis_, 49
Bill, 11 f.;
arched, 12;
of _Balaeniceps_ and _Cancroma_, 86;
scissor-like, 12;
wedge-like, 12
Bill-sheath, 11;
in _Chionis_, 268;
nature of, 2 n.;
shed, in Auks, 317, 318
Bird, definition, 1;
differences from other Vertebrata, 1 f.;
derivation from Reptiles, 14
Bird of Paradise, 543 f.;
D'Albertis', 544;
fables concerning, 543;
habits, 550 f.;
Great, 546;
Long-tailed, 546;
King, 547;
Magnificent, 547;
Twelve-wired, 545;
Red, 546;
Six-wired, 547 f., 548
Birds'-nest soup, 423
Birds of passage, 17
Birds of prey, 108;
cere, 11;
moult, 5
Birds of the Gods, 543
Bittern, 70, 90;
habits, 87 f.;
Common, 89;
Little, 88
_Biziura_, 111, 114;
fossil, 136;
_B. lobata_, 117, 117
_Blacicus_, 474
Blackbird, 510, 515
Blackburn, on Cuckoo, 354
Black-Cock, 237 f.
Black Witch, 359
Blake, on Flamingo, 107
Blight-bird, 568
Blind-sacs, 12
Blue-bird, Fairy, 505
Blue colour in birds, its nature, 3 n.
Blue Darr, 314
Blue-eye, 568
Blue-throat, 512, 516
Boatswain-bird, 72
Boat-tail, 580
Bobolink, 580
Bob-White, 204, 232
_Bonasa_, 199, 201;
_B. griseiventris_, 233 f.;
_B. severtzovi_, 234;
_B. sylvestris_, 233;
_B. umbellus_, 233
Bontekoe, figure of _Didus borbonicus_, 330
Bonxie, 304
Booby, 74, 82
Booted, 10
_Bostrychia carunculata_, 102
_Botaurus_, 87, 88;
_B. lentiginosus_, 89;
_B. pinnatus_, 89;
_B. poeciloptilus_, 89;
_B. stellaris_, 89
Bourdons, 426
Bower-bird, 543, 548 f., 550;
habits, 551 f.;
Satin–see Satin-bird
_Brachygalba_, 446;
_B. albigularis_, 445;
_B. melanosterna_, 445
_Brachypteracias_, 378;
_B. leptosomus_, 378
_Brachypteryx_, 502
_Brachyrhamphus craveri_, 319;
_B. hypoleucus_, 319;
_B. kittlitzi_, 318;
_B. marmoratus_, 318
Bradypteri, of Sharpe, 513
_Bradypterus_, 514
Brambling, 584
_Branta_, fossil, 136
Breast, 20
Breast-bone, 6
Brewer–see Baird
Brigade, vi (Preface)
Brisson, on _Bucco_ (including Barbet), 448;
on Strigidae, 398 n.
Bristle-feathers, 3
Bristles, nature of, 2 n.
Broad-bill, 467; habits, 469
Broderip, on Toucan, 454 n.
Brodrick–see Salvin, F. H.
Bromvogel, 392
Bronchi, 13
Bronchial syrinx, 21
Bronn's Thier-reich, 14, 23
_Brontornis_, 45;
_B. burmeisteri_, 45
Bronze-wing–see Pigeon
Brown colour in birds, its nature, 3 n.
_Buarremon_, 575, 576
_Bubo_, 398-403;
fossil, 415;
_B. abyssinicus_, 414;
_B. ascalaphus_, 414;
_B. bengalensis_, 414;
_B. blakistoni_, 414;
_B. capensis_, 414;
_B. cinerascens_, 414;
_B. coromandus_, 403, 414;
_B. dorriesi_, 414;
_B. ignavus_, 413 f.;
_B. lacteus_, 414;
_B. lettii_, 414;
_B. leucostictus_, 414;
_B. maculosus_, 414;
_B. magellanicus_, 414;
_B. milesi_, 414; {594}
_B. nigrescens_, 414;
_B. nipalensis_, 414;
_B. orientalis_, 414;
_B. philippensis_, 414;
_B. poënsis_, 414;
_B. shelleyi_, 414;
_B. turcomanus_, 413;
_B. virginianus_, 402, 414
Buboninae, 398, 404
_Bucco_, 447, 448;
_B. bicinctus_, 447;
_B. chacuru_, 447;
_B. collaris_, 447;
_B. dysoni_, 447;
_B. hyperrhynchus_, 447, 447;
_B. maculatus_, 447;
_B. striatipectus_, 447
Bucconinae, 445, 446 f.
_Buceros_, 390;
_B. rhinoceros_, 395
Bucerotidae, 376, 390 f.;
habits, 390
Bucerotinae, 390
_Buchanga leucogenys_, 528;
_B. atra_, mimicry, 529;
_B. waldeni_, 528
Buck–see Chapman
Buckley, T. E., on Red Grouse, 238 n.
_Bucorax_, 395
Bucorvinae, 395
_Bucorvus_, 390, 392, 393, 395;
_B. abyssinicus_, 392, 395;
_B. cafer_, 392, 395
Budgerigar, 367
Buffel-head, 121
_Bugeranus_, 252, 255
Bulbul, 504 f.;
habits, 505 f.;
of poets, 506
Bulla ossea, 13, 113
Bull-bat, 416
Buller, on Meliphagidae, 568 n.;
on _Phalacrocorax_, 77;
on _Spheniscus minor_, 57 n.;
on _Stringops_, 367 n.
Bullfinch, 584, 586
_Bulweria_, 60;
_B. bulweri_, 67;
_B. macgillivrayi_, 67
Bunting, 578, 579, 582 f.;
Corn-, 584, 586;
Ortolan, 584;
Painted, 585;
Reed-, 584;
Snow-, 584, 585;
Yellow Hammer, 584
_Buphaga_, 559
_Buphus bubulcus_, 91
Burgomaster, 306
_Busarellus_, 146;
_B. nigricollis_, 168
Bustard, 170, 243, 260 f.;
habits, 262 f.;
Great, 261-263, 261;
Little, 262, 263;
Ruffed, 262
_Butastur indicus_, sub-species, 167;
_B. liventer_, 167;
_B. rufipennis_, 167;
_B. teesa_, 167
_Buteo_, 146, 164 f., 166, 172;
fossil, 181;
_B. abbreviatus_, 166;
_B. albicaudatus_, 166;
_B. augur_, 166;
_B. auguralis_, 166;
_B. borealis_, 166;
_B. brachypterus_, 166;
_B. desertorum_, 165 f.;
_B. exsul_, 166;
_B. ferox_, 166;
_B. galapagensis_, 166;
_B. jakal_, 165, 166;
_B. leucocephalus_, 166;
_B. plumipes_, 166;
_B. poliosomus_, 166;
_B. solitarius_, 165;
_B. swainsoni_, 166;
_B. vulgaris_, 165, 166
_Buteogallus aequinoctialis_, 168
_Buteola brachyura_, 166;
_B. leucorrhoa_, 166
Buteoninae, 146, 164 f.
_Buthraupis_, 575
_Butorides_, 88-90;
_B. atricapilla_, 90;
_B. mauritianus_, fossil, 95;
_B. virescens_, 90
_Butreron capellii_, 349
Buzzard, 146, 148, 160, 162, 164 f., 169, 170;
habits, 165;
Common, 165;
Honey, 148, 172;
Rough-legged, 164
_Bycanistes buccinator_, 393