parts of Britain. Many instances have come to our knowledge of the House Sparrow and Hedge Dunnock being confounded as one and the same bird; and not alone by cocknies, but by individuals who had passed the greater part of their lives in the country. We conceive that we have said enough to convince our readers of the evil of continuing to describe Accentor modularis as the "Hedge Sparrow." This bird is the Hedge Accentor of some authors, but we think it advisable to give strictly English names, and those which are well known, in every possible case. The Alpine Warbler of Latham and others, included in Cuvier's genus Accentor, has since been ranked in a separate genus, for which Annet (an unmeaning and consequently an unobjectionable term) has been proposed. Alpine Annet, Curruca collaris. Curruca has been applied to many genera by different authors; but it suits none so well as the Annet, which is a ground bird. Linneus called the Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba; a better designation would perhaps have been M. nigra! but we shall prefer the golden mean, and, steering a middle course, name it M. maculosa. The Grey Wagtail should be called M. cinerea (Will), as having been given long before M. boarula (Linn.). The Yellow Wagtail of authors was very properly removed, by the illustrious Cuvier, to the genus Budytes, for which Oatear is adopted in English. It is also called oat-seed bird provincially. Spring Oatear, Budytes verna, Cuv. Sufficient reasons are adduced in the Song Birds, for termingthe Blue-headed Oatear B. cyanocephala, instead of B. neglecta. They need not, therefore, be repeated here. Oatear is derived from the localities which the bird frequents in those parts where it is migratory. Lavrock is a provincial name for the Sky Lark; but as the genus Corydalla of Vigors is in want of an English name, why should it not be Tawny Lavrock, C. fusca. It is sometimes named C. Richardi; but it appears to us fanciful and unscientific to name an object in Natural History after an individual with whom it has no connection whatever, either direct or remote. It is no more an exclusive designation than Wagtail or Warbler, with which it is equally applicable. The name is not likely to cause confusion, and may therefore stand for Corydalla. The Snow Bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis) is properly called the Snowy Longspur, and the other species the Rusty Longspur (P. Lapponica). Longspur originated, we believe, with Prince C. L. Bonaparte. Chaffinch should be written as two words, thus-Chaff Finch, otherwise a specific name must be added. Sky Lark, Wood Lark, &c., are often written as single words, but equally erroneously. Willughby's name, Fringilla montana, should be adopted instead of F. montifringilla (Linn.), both on the score of priority, and as omitting the useless repetition contained in the latter. We may here observe that this truly great Naturalist (Linneus) was too fond of substituting his own names for those which had long since been established by Gesner, Aldrovand, Willughby, &c.; and his alterations were often far from being improvements. Carduelis elegans we have described as the Common Goldwing; C. spinus as the Siskin Goldwing. To call the genus Goldfinch would be improper, as these birds are not Finches; and we are of opinion that a name appropriated to one genus should not be applied to any other under any combination whatsoever. Common is the best appellation we can find for Carduelis elegans. Indeed, as far as regards British birds, the name could not be improved; but as the genus contains other species besides those found in this coun try, we should be happy to have a better suggested. We have substituted Whin Linnet for Common or Brown Linnet, neither of the latter being by any means exclusive, as must be apparent to every one at all acquainted with the other Linnets. This species is constantly met with amongst whin bushes, which can be said of none of the others. This bird has been called the Garden Linnet; but it only frequents gardens during the breeding season; and even then in much fewer numbers than it all times occurs on furze commons. Selby gives the specific appellation vulgaris to the Haw Grosbeak; but as the bird happens to be rare in Britain, we have translated the English name into Latin. Coccolhraustes cratœgus, Blyth, so called from the favourite food of the bird at one season of the year. We rather doubt whether Pippin Crossbill, adopted in the Song Birds, is an improvement on Common Crossbill. Neither of them are exclusive, and we must look out for better names. Pine Grosbeak we render Pine Thickbill. The meaning of both is the same, but Grosbeak is already engaged for Coccothraustes. There are, doubtless, many birds with much thicker bills than the Pine Thickbill; but if this objection be levelled at the present appellation, most assuredly a similar one will be equally applicable to Grosbeak, Redbreast, and a dozen others. Our Hedge Coalhood is the Bullfinch of other Ornithologists. The latter is equally erroneous with Goldfinch. The new generic name, as applied to the British species, is remarkably obvious; but as there are species of Pyrrhula without black heads, it is probable that the name will not stand. Our native Coalhood is chiefly seen about hedges at that season of the year when it is most open to popular observation. Spotted and varius are infinitely superior distinctive designations to Common and vulgaris for the Starling; and, so far as we are at present aware, they are sufficiently exclusive. On perusing a critique on Hewitson's British Oology, by Mr. Blyth, we perceive the name Willet is proposed for the genus Budytes. This surpasses our own Oatear, as having no derivative meaning, and being sufficiently euphonious. The species will then stand thus:-Spring Willet, Budytes verna, and Blue-headed Willet, B. cyanocephala. Here our task closes; and we flatter ourselves that we have adduced sufficiently cogent reasons for the alterations which it has been deemed fit to introduce into the British Song Birds. English nomenclature is, however, still in a very unsettled state; and much remains to be done before we can arrive at anything like perfection. We are fully aware that our labours in this department will be little appreciated by many anti-reforming Naturalists, although we have no doubt but the change will take place some time, even though it be by slow degrees. What improvement is there that has not met with violent opposition on its first appearance before the public? It is notorious that all the grandest inventions of the human mind have been looked upon, by the leading men of the time at which they were proposed, as the impositions of quacks, or the delusions of fanatics. If such be the reception of the theory of the circulation of the blood, of vaccination, of phrenology, &c., what can we expect for our proposals for a reformed Nomenclature in Natural Science? Why, that they will undergo the usual routine of being ridiculed, scoffed at, and abused by all parties, and then by slow degrees begin to be approved, and at length adopted. Thus much for the nomenclature of British Song Birds, which, though defective, as we have seen, in many points, is manifestly a great improvement in this particular on any work hitherto published in the English language. It only remains for us to observe that the author of the book in question is far from addicted to coining new names, those he has adopted having been, for the most part, published elsewhere. HARD WORDS. "Polonius. What do you read, my Lord? "STYLE, Proper words in proper places."-Swift. WE are told that the ancient Pythia poured forth their prophetic rhapsodies in short and abrupt sentences-their words scarcely articulated, and often unintelligible. I have often thought that our language resembles the Latin in its force and character, though more diffuse in its construction: the Roman being rudely engrafted upon our native trunk, produced a hybrid, which thus partakes of qualities of both; thus our minds have received a sternness and dignity, so contradistinguished from the versatile character of prætorian France, and which uniting with the boldness of our barbaric fathers, we thus stand out as insular in our character as the land to which we belong. Being an inquisitive old man, the reader will not be surprised to find that I am apt to generalize from very small particulars. I have ever been inclined to speculation; and I think, as "small openings show wide prospects," a trifling fact may involve high moral truths ; and that an idle speculation may, like the impalpable carbon, be resolvable into discoveries of incalculable worth. I hope, therefore, the reader will excuse the eccentricity of my thoughts, and not set me down as a mere dreamer and enthusiast, since the conduct of either is unbecoming to one of my years. Coming back to my first remark on the character of the Pythia, or Grecian divinators, I am bold to think that our language is not the only hybrid which we owe to the ancients, that we also resemble them in our ideas and opinions; among which is our national enmity to "hard words:" "insolens verbum tanquam scopulum evitare." "Avoid a hard word as you would a rock," said Cæsar, and verily we sail so far from Scylla's mouth that we founder on Charybdis,-Dum brevis esse laboro obscurus fio; for while I labour to be concise I become obscure. It is a self-evident truth of many profound philosophers that words are the images of thoughts, the animi umbra-shadows of the mind; deriving so many of our words from the ancients may, in some manner, account for that republican sternness of mind with which the English seem to be possessed; but, leaving the examination of moral similitude, I shall merely touch on the resemblance between us and the Pythia, whom we find were systematic cheats cunningly reposing on the credulity of a superstitious people rather than expose their prophecies to too strict an examination. I know not from what particular cause it is that the same obscurity occurs with us of modern times, not in our religious teachings, but in our most ordinary conversation. I can understand the merit of circumvention when necessary; the counsellor who perplexes in the extreme, may be pardoned—it is his vocation; the shopkeeper may overreach you—it is his interest; sophistry may become a virtue, and cunning an accomplishment; but why, in the name of common sense, our youth should, at all times, exercise the same deception of speech, is to me a matter of surprise. Is it that their thoughts are so misbegotten that they are not worthy the dressing? or is it the policy of the courtier-qui nescit dissimulare nescit regnare vel vivere-compels them to practise cunning by a necessity? Being in company with several persons of good breeding and respectability, where the subjects of politics, poetry, and religion, succeeded each other, but by what connection I know not, I was both surprised and hurt to hear the awful mysteries of our faith commented on in the same canting, frivolous style as politics, while poetry drew forth no higher expressions than we might hear in Smithfield or on 'Change: there was no warmth of feeling, no power of illustration, and yet, judging from the bright, quickening eyes of two or three of the party, I could not but suspect and hope that there was a deep under-running current of poetic feeling, but which, with infinite zeal, they kept down, and that the fire of the muses and the fire of the altar equally burned in their bosoms, though extinguished by their weak and deadening tones. Yet this was not the only peculiarity of their conversation; their ideas, though seemingly good, arrayed in a congestion of vile monosyllabic words, and slurred out with the most trifling indifference, brought them into such confusion and disproportion that I was often puzzled to discover any meaning at all. "Sometimes to sense, sometimes to nonsense, leaning, Though an old man, and-kind reader, excuse me-not altoge |