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eternal possessions that great minds generate and perfect in retirement, will be utterly forgotten, or if remembered, will-from its tame, monotonous, and colourless style-its wilful perversions and malevolent misrepresentations-its accumulated mass of personal abuse and intolerant zeal,-its insolent dogmatism and absurd pretensions to the dignified form of history,-be only cited as a performance deserving the most just contempt from friends* as well as enemies; while, on the other hand, the History of his own Time, from its masculine and energetic style,-the perspicuity and acumen of its observations-the breathing vitality of its portraitsthe honesty of its opinions-the bold spirit of its criticism upon the public men of the day—and the profound knowledge of the transactions recorded-will transmit the name of Burnett to future generations, as one of the most instructive and most amusing of memoir writers.

Great Malvern, September 10, 1835.

H. C.

If the Dean had not been so peremptorily opinionative, so desperately pertinacious in this matter, he would, it is to be presumed, have listened to the advice of Pope and Bolingbroke, whose penetration, taste, larger views in history, and great talents for composition, alike led them to oppose the publication of this wretchedly stupid work. Never was a truer criticism pronounced upon it than in the following remarks of Horace Walpole. "There is just published Swift's history of the four last years of Queen Anne. Pope and Lord Bolingbroke always told him it would disgrace him, and persuaded him to burn it. Disgrace him, indeed, it does; being a weak libel, ill-written for style, uninformed, and adopting the most errand mob stories. He makes the Duke of Marlborough a coward, Prince Eugene an assassin, my father remarkable for nothing but impudence, and would make my Lord Somers anything but the most amiable character in the world, if, unfortunately, he did not praise him while he tries to abuse."—Letters to Sir Horace Mann, vol. iii, p. 317–318.

[Our thanks are due to the learned writer for this admirable article, as also for six highly interesting papers in former numbers of " The Analyst ;" more especially that on Charles II, which was executed in so masterly a style as to obtain the unqualified approbation of one of the most accurate thinkers upon all curious matters of History. The subject here alluded to was so full of perplexities that it quite baffled the sound and vigorous understanding of the Edinburgh Reviewer. The importance, indeed, of a paper which clears up difficulties embarrassing to many a statesman of the present day, cannot be too highly appreciated by the student of English History.— ED.]

26

REMARKS CONDUCIVE TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF ORNITHOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE.

In a former paper, (vol. ii., p. 305), I pointed out some very glaring errors in the nomenclature adopted by Selby in his British Ornithology. I shall now do what I conceive will be of still greater utility, and what I have often been asked to do,-give a list of the birds of Britain; each species denoted by its proper generic and specific appellation. But before commencing the list, I shall make a few remarks on the subject, which appear to be peculiarly called for, when there are writers who openly maintain that the names in use, whether right or wrong, ought to be continued, simply because they are in use, writers, too, who do not simply adopt the vulgar names from mere thoughtlessness, or from thinking the subject beneath their attention, but who, having considered the subject, actually defend what they themselves confess to be erroneous, because it would give too much trouble to learn what is right!

I do not here mean to refute any of Mr. Strickland's arguments for his vulgar names; but one assertion I cannot let pass unnoticed, namely, that the newly-introduced English names are certain never to be universally adopted. Let Mr. Strickland turn to the ornithological works of the time of Willoughby or of Edwards, and compare the English names therein used with those of Selby or Mudie; or let him compare the French names used by Buffon, with those of Vieillot or Temminck. In Willoughby's work he will find Water Hen, Water Ouzel, Solan Goose, Sea Lark, Greenland Dove, Land Hen, and many other equally ridiculous and erroneous names, which, in Selby's work, are designated as follows: Gallinule, Dipper, Gannet, Plover, Rotch, and Crake, and by these names they are now universally known, except by those, indeed, who "don't know a rose from a cabbage."

Boswell, in his life of Johnson, speaking of orthography, says, that Johnson very strongly expressed his disapprobation at the practice, which was then creeping in, of omitting the k at the end of such words as public, music, &c.; and Boswell adds, that he really hopes that so great an authority will have the effect of stop

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.

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

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Rock Gossuc

Sparrow Hawk

Genus, Pandion, (Sav.), Ospray.

White-headed Ospray,*

Pandion leucocephalus, (W.)

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

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

Accipiter nisus, (W.)

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* 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."

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