248
12.
13.
R•c•_•ioN•),
Ornithological
Writingso/ Rafinesque.
Loc. cit., p. 205.
Newton, Alfred. Diet. of Birds.
Article:
[Auk
[July
Ousel.
14.
Nichol,M.J. Three Voyagesof a Naturalist. London, 1908,p. 160.
15.
llelous,Edmund. Bird Watching. London, 1901, p. 148.
16. Loc. cit., p. 153.
17. Loc. cit., p. 152.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Loc. cit., p. 159.
Loc. cit., p. 148.
Loc. cit., pp. 150-151.
Loc. cit., p. 156.
Selous, Edmund. The Bird Watcher in the Shetlands. London,
1905, p. 72.
Loc. cit., p. 50.
Loc. cit., p. 168.
Townsen•l,C.H.
Bird Lore, X, 1908, p. 171.
26. Townsend,C.W.
Birds of EssexCounty. Cambridge,1905,p. 80.
27. Morgan, C. Lloyd. Habit and Instinct.
A
REPRINT
OF
THE
London, 1896, p. 69.
ORNITHOLOGICAL
WRITINGS
OF C. S. RAFINESQUE.
PaR•
BY
CHARLES
W.
II. •
RICHMOND.
R^•q•F•S;•UE,
with his brother, left Leghorn in March, 1802,
and landedin Philadelphiaon the 18thof April. He at oncebegan
to botanize, collect specimens,and make drawings. He says
('Life of Travel,' p. 17): "My brotherhad becomea sportsman,
and procuredme manybirds. I wantedto undertakethe Ornithologyof theUnitedStates,findingmanyof themnewor unknown,
or badly described.I continuedalso to study the Snakesand
Reptiles,communicating
someof them to Daudinfor his work on
Reptiles." So,it appears,Rafinesque
narrowlyescaped
beingthe
Father of AmericanOrnithology. However,this plan, like many
othersprojectedby him, fell through,and on his firstvisitto the
For Part I see antea, pp. 37-55.
Vol.
XXVI'I R•cn•oND,Ornithological
Writingso/ Rafinesque. 249
1909
United Stateshe actuallypublishedonly one item on the native
birds, a note on the food of the Canvasback Duck.
He lost no
time,however,
in describing
fourspecies
of birdsfrom,lava,which
he found exhibitedin Peale'sMuseum,in Philadelphia. These
descriptions
he communicated
to Daudin, his first scientificcorrespondent,whoinsertedthemin the 'Bulletin' of the Soci6t6Philomathiquede Paris,wheretheyappeared
as his earliestpublished
writings.
BulletindesSciences,
par la Soci6t6Philomathique,
III, No. 67,
1802. (¾end6miaire,
an 11 de la R6publique.
t)
[p. 146.]
Notice sur de•txno•elles esp•cesdes genrespicoideset turnix de
l'•le deJava, d•critesd Philadelpbie,da•s k cab'i•etdeM. Peales,
par le C. R.•FLN'ESQI:E.
I ø. Le picoide5 dosrouge.
I1 estlongde sixpouces,et diff•reessentiellement
du picoidede
Sib•rie,d•j/t connu. Le becestd'unbrim clair,avecsonextr•mit•
blanchatreet peu aigue. Le plumage est presqu'enti•rement
noir,vari• surla t•te detachesoblongues,
surla gorgeet la poitrine
de tachesplusgrandes,
plusarrondies
et toutesde couleurblanehe.
Le ventreestvari• un peuirr•gulibxement
de blancct de noir; une
bandeblanches'•tenddela basedubecaux•panlesoffelles'•largit.
Le mentonest blanc et sanspresqueaucunetache. Le (losest
jaun•tre • sa moiti• sup•rieure,et rouge 5 l'inf•rieure. Los
couvertures
alairessont d'un jaune olivatre; ]es grandespennes
alairessontbrunes,et lespetites,br}mes,bord•esd'olivatrc. La
queuea sespennesnoir•tres,acumin•es.Les piedssontbrunatres, avec deux doigtsant•rieurs, r•unis • leur base, et nn doigt
derri•re.
2ø. Un autre oiseautridactyle,dont M. Pealesn'a ])asencore
pu d•terminerle genre: il a quelqueanaloglepar sa forme avec
les cailles• tro•sdoigts; mais sonbec l'•1oignedesT•tras et des
perdrix,et il diff•reaussidespluviers
par.sesjambesenti•rement
couvertes
de plumes(1).
• At this time the society was publishing one number per month.
the period extending from Sept. 22-0ct. 21, 1802.
No. 67 was for
250
R•CIt•OND,
Ornithological
Writings
o/ Rafinesque. [Auk
[July
I1 est longde quatrepouces. Sonbecest de couleurde corne,
comprim•,allonge,avecles deux mandibulesconvexes,
la sup•ricure ayant sonextr•mit• pointueet d•passantl'inf•rieure par un
petit crochet: les narinessont lin•aires et recouvertespar une
petite membrane. La t6te est brune, pointill•e de blanch&tre;
le mentonet le gosiersontnoir&tres;la gorge,la poitrineet les
plumeshumOrales
sontfasci6estransversalement
de blanch&treet
de noiratre. Le ventreest roussatre,le haut du dosd'un bai clair,
le reste brun fasci• transversalementde bai et de noir&tre, ainsi
quelescouvertures
aiMres;lespennesalairessontbrunes,bord•es
de blanchatreen dehors. La queueest tr•s-courteet brune:
lespiedssontcendr•s,a troisdoigts,tousant•rieurset enti•rement
s•par•s, sansmembrane.
F.M.D.
(1) Cet oiseauest un turnix, voisin de celui de Madagascar;
j'en poss•deun dessin. (•rote du Redacteur.)
Thesebirdswerenot providedwith scientific
namesat the time,
but in 1814 (as shownbeyond)Rafinesque
namedthemPicoides
(Diaopium)erythroaotus
and Turnix ]avanica,respectively.The
first description
appliesto the bird universallyknown as T•ga
]avanensis,originallydescribedby Ljungh, in 1797, as Picus
]avanensis;the secondis Hemipodiuspt•g•taxof Temminck,
1815. As the genericname Tiga Kaup was not proposed
until
1836,it followsthat Diaopiumshouldreplaceit, while Turnix
pugnaxwill becomeT. javanica.
BulletindesSciences,
par la Soci•t6Philomathique.III, No.
68, 1802. (Brumaire,an 11 de la R•publique.•)
[p. 53.1
Notice sur une hirondellee! un figuier de l'•k de Java, deeritsd
Philadelphie,dansle museumde M. Peales,par le C. RAr•ESQUE.
I •. L'hirondelle• longuesaries. Itirundo longipennis.
Elle estlonguede septpouceset demi; le becestpetit et noir.
Le dessus
du corpsestnoir&tre,5 refietsbleuatres;tout le dessous
du corps,ainsiquele basdu dos,sontd'uncendr•sali. Lesaries
• Brumaire,
an 11, extended from Oct. 22-Nov.
20, 1802.
Vol.
XXVI'l
Ornithotogical
Writings
o/ Rafinesque. 251
1909
J RICHMONV,
sont trt•s-longues,
tr•s-aigueset noirfttres,• refiets. On voit une
tache remarquable,cendr6eou blanchlitre,salle intSrieurement
vets le dos. La queueest noire,trSs-longue,
tr•s-fourchue,
avec
la penneextSrieure
de chaquec6t(•aussilonguequelesafles.
2ø. Le figuierh queuecun•forme. Sylviacuneata.
I1 estlongde cinqpouces. Le becestde couleurde corne,avec
la mandibulesup•rieureanguleuse,
et presqu'enti•rement
brune.
Le dessus
du corpsestd'un grisolivgtre,avecle gosierblanchatre,
les•paulescendr•es,la poitrineet le ventrejaunatres. Les afles
sontcourtes,
• pennes
bmnesbord•esdegrisAtre;plusieurs
plumes
sus-alaires
sonttermin,esde blanchgtre;la queueest cun•iforme,
bmne en dessous,
avecl'extr•mit• inf•rleuredespenneslaterales
blanche, d'un brun clair en dessus,avec l'extr•mit• inf•rieure de
chaqueautre penneblanche,et marqueed'une tache arrondie
d'un
brun
fonc&
F.M.D.
Hitundo longipennis
is the well knownMacropteryx(or Hemiprocne)longipennis;and Sylvia cuneatais in all probabilitythe
specieslater describedby Horsfieldas Prinia Jamiliaris.
The Medical Repository(New York). SecondHexade. II,
No. 2, 1804.
[p. 208.]
CANVASS-BACK
l)UCK
ANl)
ITS
FOOl).
Extractof a letterfrom Mr. C. S. Rafinesque
to Dr. Mitchill, dated
Philadelphia,Sept. 7, 1804.
"Having seenin the MedicalRepository
the mentionmade
of the canvass-back
duckand its food (Hex. I. vol. v. p. 342),
I havepaid particularattentionto ascertainwhat both were;
and it is with somedegreeof pleasureI am able to tell you
that I havebeensuccessful
enoughto find their true scientific
names. The first is certainlythe anc• ferlna of the ornithologists,le mil•uin of Buffon and the French authors,which
is foundin Europe,Asia and America. I haveseenit myself
in Italy and France,whereit is reckoneda goodgame,but
not so dainty as it is thoughthere. I have examinedfour of
them in Philadelphia,whichcamefrom the neighbourhood
of
252
RICHMOND,
Ornithological
Writings
of Rafinesque. [.July
]'Auk
Havre de Grace, where they are still plentiful in winter.
When there, I was shownthe plant or grassthey feed upon,
and found it to be the Valis•wria Americana,a new species,
somewhatdifferent from the Valis•wria spiralis of Europe.
It coversthe bottom of the shallowparts of the Susquehannab, and the head of the ba•, from which its leavesnearly
reach the surface of the water. The root shoots,in the fall,
fleshyand ahnostesculentbudsor protuberances,
whichstand
during the winter, and are the chief food of the a•as ferina
in thoseparts. Thosethat escapethemsendforthnext spring
new leaves,and sometimesstemsalso.-- The Valisneria Americana is called channel-weed in the river Delaware, and can-
vass-back-duck-food
in the Susquehannah."
In 1810, Rafinesquepublishedhis 'Caratteri,' a pamphletof
105pages,a•d doubtless
oneof the commonest
of hisworks. This
wasapparentlyissuedin blue papercovers(onecopyseenby me
is in thisstate),and withoutthe list of writingsthat occ•lrson s()l•le
or,hislatertracts.
The matterrelatingto birdsis reprintedbelow.
Caratteridi alcuninuovigenerie nuovcspeciedi Anitaalle Plante
della Sicilia con varie osservazioni
soprai medesi•i. Opuscolo
del Sig. C. S. ItafinesqueSchmaltz. P•lermo. 1810. (Dedication dated "Palermo 1. Aprile ]810.")
[p. 5.]
CAPITOLO
II.--GL[
UCCELI•I
2. Sp. FALCO Eryth•'•tros--Tutto bigio con il
gropponcc le coscierosseferruginose,rostro giallastro,nero alla punta, piedi e cera arancini.--Oss.
q•estopiccoloFalconeo piti tostoSmeriglio• raro,
lo
ho
sentito
nominare
Falco
Pal•,mbo da alcuni
Cacciatori,cgli si ritrova vicino a Palermo e giunge
appe•a alia lunghezzadi un piede; g moltograzioso
e be• (listintoda qualunquealtra speciedel m•meroso genere a cui appartiene.
3. Sp. ARDEA Xantbodactyla--Tutta bianca,
Vol.
XXVI]
R•cH•oN•),Ornithological
Writings
o[ Rafinesque. 253
1909
]
con un ciuffetto cadentedietro la testa, rostro e piedi neri, diti ed iride gialli, spazio nudo fr'k il rostro
e l'occhio cerulescentc.--Oss. Questo A6'ozw appartiene alia divisionedelle Ga•zetteed arriva alia
hmghezzadi tre piedi, ffi uccisovicino a Licata e
ho cognizioneche si ritrova pure in Egitto ed in
Toscana,dove• di passaggio
comein Sicilia.
4. Sp. ARI)EA Lucida-- Tutta biancalucente,con
cluffotto, rostro, e piedi gialli, spazio nudo frail
rostro e l'occhio bigio--Oss. Quest'altra Garzetta
[p. •.]
ffi ritrovata vicinoa Trapani ed • di minor mole della
precedente;g pure di passaggio.
5. Sp. TRINGA Picta- Rostronero, piedi olivastri, al di sopra foscamacchiatadi blanco, al disotto bianca macehiatadi roscoal petto e fianchi,
penne dell'ale fosche marginate di blanco e rosco
--Oss. Si chiamadalli CaeeiatoriGadduzzudipintu,
e non • rata in primavera.
6. •qp. EMBERIZA Atrata--Rostro, piedl, dorso
e fianchi nerastrl, fulvastra al disotto, penne della
coda here, l'esteriori marginate di bianco.--Oss.
Questasorte di Ortolano• taro e di passaggionella
primavera ed est'g.
7. •qp.FRING[LLA Oli•acea-- Tutta oilyastra,un
pocomacchiatadi roscosoprail dorso,e bianchieeia
al ventre,rostroe piedi fulvi, pennedella codamarginate di losco.--Oss. Ho trovato questoPinsone
vicino a Palermo.
8. •qp.MOTACILLA Erythroiirus
-- Bigiaal disopra, faccia, gola, petto, rostro e piedi neri, ventre
biancastro,gropponee coda fulva, le sue penne interiore fosche.--Oss. Questo Ueeellino si ehiama
in sieilianoC•dirussacome pure la M. Phenicurus
ehepure vi si ritrovae di eui differisee
nel non avere
ne la fronte bianca neil petto fulvo &e. ambidue
appartengono
al veto generedelle Motacilleultimamente riformato col to•]ierne tutte le Capinere, per
formarne il Genere Sylvia.
254:
RIC•MOm),
Ornithological
Writings
o/ Rafinesque. l'Auk
[July
9. Sp. SYLVIA Ful•a--Fulva fcrruginosa,blancastra al disotto,gropponcgiallastro,rostro e picdi
bianchicci.--Oss.Questa • una della grande specie di Capinere,frequentale montagnee piccoli boschi, e vi • stabile.
10. Sp. SYLVIA J,uncidis
-- Pennefoschemarginate
di fulvastro al disopra, gola, spalie, fianchi e coscie
fulvastre,petto e ventre bianchiccio,coda cunelforma
sollepennefoschealia base,nere all'estremitke terminate di fulvo,le due piti esteriorilo sonodi bianco;uno
spazionudofra l'occhioe l'orecchie,rostrorosco,piedi
bianchicci.--Oss.Mo visto questa piccola Capinera
[p. 7.]
vicino alla Roccellasaltellaresopra i giunchinei luoghi, umidi; l'avevo pure osservatanelle vicinanzedi
Liverno, insicone
colla seguente.
11. Sp. SYLVIA Capinera--Sommit• del capo e
gore nere, dorsofoscotestacco,al disottoblanco cenerizio, penne della coda here, l'esteriorimarginatee
terminate di bianco, rostro fosco, piedi fulvi.--Oss.
Essa appartienealla divisionedelle Capinerecol capo coloritoal disoprae si distinguedella S. Atricapilla nell'avereil nero piti esteso,nel coloredei piedi, dell'ale &e,
12. Sp. SYLVIA Xanthogastra
-- Bigia olivastra
al disopra,gialla al disotto,ale e coda fosehe,rostro
foseoal di sopra,giallastroal di sotto, piedi piombini.--Oss. Questo piccolo Uccellino 5 molto grazioso, egli si ritrova nell'autunnoinsiemecolli quattrosequenti, e vengonotutti confusisotto il no ne di Beccafic•ethe allora si da a tutte le Capinereche mangianoi tichi.
13. Sp. SYLVIA
Rhodogastra--Bigia scura al
disopra, rosastra al disotto, rostro, ale e coda fo~
sche,le penne esternedella coda terminatedi bianco, piedi fulvini.
14. Sp. SYLVIA Turdella--Bigia rossicciasca-
ra,biancastra
aldisotto,
rostro
e i•iedi
foschi.
Vol.
XXVl'] R•cmaoN•),
Ornithological
Writings
o[ Rafinesque. 255
1909
15. 8p. SYLVIA Meleuca--Capo nerastroal di
sopra, dorso fulvo fosco, biancastraal disotto,rostro
nerastro, piedi fulvi foschi, penne dell'ale fosche,
penne della coda nere e l'esterioriblanche all'estremit•.--088. Essa ha qualche somiglianza colla
S. Capinera n. 11; ma • piti piecola,ha il nero del
capodiversamente
esteso&c.t
Pr•eis des d•couverteset travaux Somiologiqnes
de M r. C. S.
Raflnesque-Schmaltz,
entre 1800 et 1814. (Consistsof a letter
addressedto "M r. Ch. H. PersoonM.D." of Paris, and dated
June 3, 1814.)
The only ornithological
matter in this work appearsto be the
following,on page 14:
2.
Classe Ornithia-
Les Oiseaux.
8. Esp. Numeniusaterrimus. Bec, pieds
et tout le coq)s parfaitement noir.--Obs.
En Sicile,vulgairement
Addarana.
9. Syl•,ia Azuricollis. Bec et pieds noirs,
dos gris-brun, cou et partie sup•rieure du
poitrail azures, la partie inf•rieure rouge3,tre,
ventreoliv,4tre.--Ohs. En Sicileet en Espagne.
10. Falco torquatus. Bec bleu, cere
pieds et dos bruns, demi collier rouss•tre,
blanc en dessous avec des taches brunes sur
le ventre, queuerayne de ferrugineux.--Ohs.
En Sicile,vulgairement
Falchettu.
The 'Pr•cis,' 'Principesfondamentaux,'
and 'Analyse' were
originallyissuedin brownpapercovers,
on the second
and following pagesof whichis givena list of the author'swritings. The
firstitembeingof interestto ornithologists
is herereproduced:
[p. 2 of eover.]
I. Descriptionde 4 nouvellesesp•cesd'Oiseauxde l'Ile de
Java, observes
dansle museumde Mr. Peale• Philadelphie,
• I have
notattempted
theidentification
oftheabove
species,
norofthethree
that
follow.--C.
W. R.
256
RmH•O.•D,
Ornithological
Writings
ofRafinesque. [Auk
[July
Turnlx ]a•anica, Dinopi•t.m(Picotdes)erythronotus,
Hirundo
longipennis
et Sylviacuneata.--Ins•r• dansle BulletindesSciences
1803, num. 67. et 68/
Turnix ]a•anica, Dinopium (Picoides)erythronotus,
and the
genericnameDinopiumare newhere.
PrincipesFondamentaux
de Somiologie,
1814.
The only itemsof interestto ornithologists
are the substitution
of twonames,AnseriaandApodium,for AnserandApus,viz.:
[p. 27.]
Obs. Cette r6gle se lie avec la pr6c6dente& e]lesse
supportent
r•ciproquement,
lesGenresTalpa L. & Catalpa J. BromeliaL. & Melia L. CancerL & AnserBrisson,SinapisL. & AlyisL. en sontdesexemples;il fatit
dans totis les cas semblables conserver le nora ant•rieur
(k moinsqu'il ne soit d'ailleurslnoins conyenable)&
modifierlesautres;ainsiil faudraadopterCatalpi•um
R.
AnanasT., AnseriaR. & Apic•daPt.au lieu de Catalpa,
Bromelia,Anser & Apis.
[p.
Obs.
Ainsi
Mitella
L.
Mitchella
L.
&
M•chelia
L.
peuventOtreconserves;mais parmi Apis L. Apes Cuvier,Api'umL. & ApionHerbst,on ne doitconserver
qu'
[p. 29.]
Ap•um L. les autresdoivent•tre changesen Jpicula R.
A podiumR. & A pionusR.
Specchio
delleScienze
o GiornaleEnciclopedico
di Sicilia.
Tom. II, No. XI, I Novembre, 1814.
[p. 132.]
Arri•o
delle Lodole •icino Palermo nell'autunno.
Le Lodole (Alauda •ulgaris L.) SOhOdegli uccelli
These numbers were published in 1802, as •toted above.
Vol.
XXVIl.• 1R•CHMON•),
Ornithological
Writingso/ Rafinesque. 257
1909
migratori,i quali vivonoe niditqcano
nell'est5soprail
continenteeuropeo,ma lo lascianonell'autunno,alineno in gran parte, per albergarenell'invernoin Sicilia
e nella Barberia. I1 loro arrivoprincipiain Siciliacirca
l'equinoziod'autunno,ed il loro passagiodura quasi
un mese: tr5 tutte le partl della Sicilia non vi 5 luogo
dovegiunganoin simileabondanzacomenel golfo di
Palermo,volanoin piceolebandedi 20 sino a 50, ma
il numerodi questebande 5 tale che nel giorni di passagioabondante,pare che venissero
alla fila l'una dell'
[p. 133.1
altra: l'ora del passagiodura tutto il giorno,mail tempo pih abondante5 dopo il mezzod•,particolarmente
quandosoffiaun modetaroventodi tramontana,grecale
o maestrale,con un altro yentogiungonoin piccolissimo numero, e non ne arriva quasimai con un yento
impetuoso
o colloscirocco
e libeccio. Volanoa riored'
acquae con rolo lento ma uguale,e non s'innalzano
nell'arlachequandogiungono
soprala riva. Io h6 caleolatochenellegiornatedi granpassagio
ne devono
giungere quasiun milione,eosicch•si pub supporteragionevolmente
the in tutta la stagionearrivanoin Sicilia
nel sologolfo di Palermo(spazioal pih di 20 miglia)
piu di diecimilionidi Lodole.
Questopassagio
somministra
ai palermltaniuna piacevoleed abbondante
eaccia;un numerosorprendente
di
cacciatoridi spargonosopratutto il littorale,o vanno
in barchead incontrarlenel mare; vi sonoin certegiornate quasicentobarchenel golfoe plh di tre centocacciatorisullerive, i quall fannoquasiun fuoeocontinuo
di modo che le vicinanzedi Palermopresentanol'aspetto ed il rumoredi una battagliao vivo artaccodi fucilate: alcunitr5 questicaeciatorigiungonoad ammazzareun eentinarodi Lodolein poeheore. I1 nomethe
essihannoin Sicilia a questiuccelli• qt•ellodi Lonora. Non parecheil rumoredellefuellatele spaventia
grandistanza,
giacch5continuano
a yeniredovevi 5 il
plh vivo fuoco;ma da vicinofk deviatele bandedel
258
RxcsMo•),Ornithological
Writings
of Rafinesque. ['Auk
kJuly
loro corsoo le f& spartire,fuggendodi qua e di l& ed
ancheritornando
nel mare,ma per rintracciare
un punto del lido meno pericoloso. Essendostanchedel loro
vlaggio cadonofacilmente,anche se sono debolmente
colpiteo ferite,e rimangono
a galla sopral'acquadove
si colgonoagevolmente.
Quellechescappano
a questomacello,si spartono
e
vannoad albergarenellepianuree pascoli,dovealtri
cacciatorivengonoa perseguitarle;ma nondimenovi sono pi•t difficili a rintracciaree colpire,cosicch•molte
scappano
a tutti i loronemici,e nellaprimaverala •naggior parte lasciala Siciliaper ritornarenell'Italia e nel
[p. 134.]
continente:la loro partenza• per5 piti segretadel loro
arrivo, i loro perseguitori
non hannoquindiscampodi
disturbaria.
AmericanMonthly Magazineand Critical Review. IV, No.
I, Nov., 1818.
In an articleentitled"Museum of Natural History," Rafinesque
givesan accountof variousnew generaand speciesof animals,
plants,etc.,amongwhichappears
thefollowing:
[p. 41.]
I. N. G. Rimamphus. (A bird. Natural fa•nily of Leptoramphous.)Bill subMate,mandiblesconvex,leavingan opening
betweenthem,the loweronestraight,the upperonelonger,curved,
and not notched,nostrilsnaked. Rimamphuscitrinus. (Citron
Open-bill.) Generalcolourof a citronyellow,backratherolivaceous,five brown and raisedfeatherson the bend of the wings,
quillstippedwith brown,bill and feetflesh-coloured.
A beautiful
little bird, about5 incheslong,the tail, whichis truncate,is one
inchand an half, the wingsare short. It is a nativeof the south,
and was shot near the falls of Ohio, in Indiana, in the month of
July. Very scarce. It liveson insects,and dartson them from
the trees. It does not sing.
Vol.
XXVlq RXCaMO>;D,
Ornithological
Writings
o[ Rafinesque. 259
1909
In the next numberof this magazine(IV, No. 2, Dec., 1818),
thereis a continuationof the "Museum of Natural History,"with
the followingparagraphon birds:
[p. 100.]
2. BIm)S. Among them three new genera, Rimamphus,
Ramphosteon,
and Syruphernia,
and at least38 new species
have
beenascertained.Thesebelongto the followinggenera:-- Philomela,8 species;
Cuculus,1; Troglodytes,
1; Sylvia,2; Muscicapa
2; Perdix, 1; Rallus, 1; Talco, 7; Mergus,3; Anas, 5; Phalaropus, 1; Tringa, 2; Charadrius,2; PodJeeps,
1; Himantopus
1, &c.
Journalde Physique,LXXXVIII,
Juin, 1819.
PRODROME
De 70 nouveaux Genres d'Animaux
ddcouverts dans l'intd-
rieur des]•tats-Unisd'Amdrique,
durantl'ann•e1818;
Par C. S. RAFINESQUE.
[p. 418.]
li e CLASSE.
OISEAUX.
3. RIMAMPItUS.Beesubul•entr'ouvert,mandibulesrondes,
lasup•rleuretr•s-courbde,
vibriss•es;
narlncshUeS,etc. Fa
milledesLeptoramphes
ouFauveres. 1 espace
duKentucky.
R. citrinus. Jaunecitron,dosoliv3tre,becet piedsincamats,
ailescourtes,
5 plumesbrunes,relev•esau fouetdel'aile; insectivore; il ne chantepaset s'dlancedesarbressursa proie.
4. HELMITItEl•,OS.
DifferentdugenreSylviaparbeeunpeu
courbe,mandibule
sup•rieure
arrondienondchancrde.Le type
de cegenreestla Pauvettevermivore,
ou WormeaterWarbler
de Wilson, que je nommeH. migratorius.
5. SYMPnEMIX.
Diffdrentdugenre
Tringaparbeccylindrique,
doigtssemi-palm4s.Type T. semi-palmata
queje nommeS.
atlantica. I1 yen a uneautreespace
en I(entuckyqui peutse
nommer
S. melanura.
260
RICHMOND,
Ornithological
WritO•gs
o/ Rafinesque.
['Auk
[July
Annalsof Natureor AnnualSynopsis
of New Generaandspecies
of Animals, Plants, &c. discovered in North America. First
Annual Number, for 1820. (Introductiondated March 1, 1820.)
[p. 4.]
II
CLASS.
ORNITHIA.--THE
BIRDS.
13. Milvus leucomelas.White, unspotted,
top of the headand
part of theback,wings,tail andbill black,feetyelloxv.--It isfound
in west Kentuckyand Illinois, it feedson fishes,and is therefore
calledFishingHawk; sizesmall,tail quiteforked.
14. Ardea phaioma. Entirely of a deepbrown,neck ferruginous behind, white before, bill black, feet yellow.--It lives in
Missouri,Illinois and westKentucky; it is of a smallsize,total
lengthabouteighteeninches;it belongsto the tribe of Bitterns.
15. Charadriusviridis. Entirelyof a light green,unspotted,
wingsand tail tingedwith brown,bill and feetblack.-- It hasbeen
seen by Mr. Audubon in Missouri, near St. Genevieve; it is a
solitaryand very wild bird, size of the commonPlover. Is it a
Fulica
?
16. tIirundo phenicephala.Head scarlet, back grey, belly
white, bill and feet black.--A fine and rare swallow,seen only
onceby Mr. Audubon,near Hendersonvillein Kentucky; it must
have beena wanderer,and is probablya nativeof Louisianaor
Mexico.
The descriptions
of Nos. 15 and 16 are thoughtto be thoseof
imaginarybirds,furnished
by Audubon,whoimposed
or Rafinesque
in severalother instances.Audubon'sopinionof Rafinesqueis
dulyrecorded
in oneof thesketches
in his'Ornithological
Biography'
(I, 1832,pp. 455-460).
AnnalesG•n•ralesdesSciences
Physiques
(Bmxelles),
VII, "1820"
(1821),
Sur quelques
Animauxhybrides. Par 5'I. C.S. Rafinesque.Pp.
85-88.
Theoniy
reference
tobirds
inthisarticle
isthefollowing:
Vol.
XXVI']
RICHMOND,
Ornithological
Writings
o/ Rafinesque. 261
1909
.]
[p. ss.]
L'oie du Canada ou oie k cravatte (Ansercanadensis)
a •t• complgtement
apprivois•edanslesEtats-Unis,offelle
existeen
parfaitedomesticitY.
Elle s'estuniepresqu'aussit6t
avecl'oie domestique,
eta produitdesindividusf•conds,
lesquelsont produit de nouveauxm•tis f•conds, par le
croisement
desraces;ilsparticipentplusoutooinsdela nature desesp•cesdontils proviennent,
• roesurequ'ilss'•loignentdestypesoriginels. Cependantl'oie• cravattea
•t• regard•ecommeune esp•cedistinctepar tousles naturalistes,et m•me par Buffon,quoiqu'ilffit si port• •
restreindrele nombredesespSces
par espritde syst•me.
La m6me union fdconde a lieu entre le canard do-
mestiqueet le canardmusqu•,quoiquece dernicrdiff•re si essentiellement
du premier, qu'il devrait peut6tre former un genre, ou sous-genre• part, • cause
surfout de sa t•te caroncul•e.
Ils diffSrent entr'eux cer-
talnementautant ou plus que les aras ne differentdes
perroquets
dontils ont •t• s•par•s.
AtlanticJournal,andFriendof Knowledge,
I, No. 2, "Summerof
1832"
262
taCH,ON,),
Ornithological
Writings
o/ Rafinesque. rAuk
[Ju•y
63.]
10. ORNITHOLOGY.-Description of colors.
Aq. dioronyx.spec.oh. Bill horny,
a new Eagle from South America,
Aquila dicronyxor Macarran Eagle. feet yellow, daws black, but the
middle claw horny or whitish; pluBy C. S. R.
Mr. Macarran of Philadelphia has mage blackish, head greyish, tail
had for 5 years in his small menage- whitish, end of it rusty.
rie and botanic garden, a beautiful
Description.--Total length 3 feet,
eagle,kept alive in a cagein the open wings expanded, 9 feet; bill large
air during the coldestwinters, being strong 4 inches long, shaped as in
a native of the cold climate of Anthe eagles, of a horny or whitish-yeltattic America. He was found by lowish color; cere and lore brownish;
the mate of a vessel near Buenos
eyes black and bright, iris yellow;
Ayres, while yet young, feeding on head greyish above and acrossthe
a dead horse, and taken alive witheyes,nearly white beneathand above
out much difficulty. He has grown the eyes; feathersnearly black with
and improved in colorssincebought a lead colored east, white at their
by Mr. Macarran. Although fierce base; wings slate coloredbeneath;
and wanting to fly against the boys Uropygial feathers mixt of black
when they annoy him, he is very and g•y. Tail with a rusty band
tame and grateful towards his keep- at the end. Feet yellow very strong,
er: he knows him as well as friendly feathersnot quite to the toes. Claws
visitors, and greets them by peculiar strongand black, that of the middle
postures,looks or cries. He has se- toe same color as the bill.
veral kinds of cries rather harsh, to
When younger this bird was enexpressjoy or anger. He feeds on tirely of a bluish black, or dark lead
every kind of flesh, offals or even color, the head and tail have since
fish and dead animals.
He will kill
rats and eat them.
He is a beautiful
noble bird, when he expands the
wings they fill his large cage. His
gait is clumsy and he oftener jumps
than walks.
I have called him Aquila dicronyx
from the singularity of daws of two
changed,but the rusty band of the
tail and daws were permanent and
are proeminentdistinctionsbetween
this eagle and the whitehead eagle.
Mr. Audubon admired this eagle
and wanted to purchasehim; but Mr.
Macarran
would
$100 for him.
not take
less than
ornithological
This appearsto completethe list of Rafinesque's
writings. I have not, however,consultedhis "Enumerationand
Accountof someremarkableNatural Objectsin the Cabinetof
Professor
Rafinesque,"
• published
in Philadelphia,
in 1831. This
work, we learnfrom an advertisementon the back coverof his ' Life
of Travel,' was"soldto Zoologists
and Oryetologists,
for 25 cts."
• Dr. Allen has recently written me that there is no ornithological matter in this
work.