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Show 1870.] MESSRS. SCLATER AND SALVIN ON THE CRACIDAE. 505 received great assistance, in answers to numerous inquiries and in loan of specimens, from Herr v. Pelzeln, of the Imperial Cabinet of Vienna, from Mr. G. N. Lawrence, of New York, and from Mr. Moore, Curator of the Derby Museum, Liverpool. Before commencing our synopsis of the species of Cracidee we will say a little concerning the labours of former workers on this group, from the days of Linnaeus. Sect. II. Brief Chronological Account of the Writings of the Principal Authorities on the Cracidae. (1766.) Linnaeus, in the twelfth edition of the ' Systema Naturae,' establishes the genus Crax with five species. Of these, C. rubra is the female of C. globicera, leaving four valid Linnaean species of this genus. The only Penelopine bird recognized is placed in the genus Phasianus. It is P. motmot, Linn. (•= Ortalida motmot). (1780, about.) In the 'Planches Enluminees,' published about this date, four species of Cracidee are figured, viz.:- Pl. 86. Le Hocco : faisan de la Guianne (= Crax daubentoni). 125. Hocco du Perou (= C. globicera $ ). 78. Faisan, le Pierre de Cayenne (= Pauxi galeata). 338. Faisan verdatre de Cayenne (*-*= Penelope marail). (1783.) Boddaert, in his 'Table des Planches Enluminees,' gives the name Phasianus katraka to Pl. Enl. 146 (which is Ortalida motmot). (1784.) Jacquin, in his 'Beytrage zur Geschichte der Vogel,' figures two species of Penelope, Crax cumanensis (t. 19) and C. pipile (t. 11). These are both probably referable to the same species, viz. Pipile cumanensis. (1786.) Merrem, in his 'Avium Icones et Descriptiones'(fasciculus secundus, p. 40), establishes three divisions of Craces:-(1) Crax, Linnaeus; (2) Penelope (type P. jacupema) ; (3) Ortalida (type Phasianus motmot, Linnaeus). He figures his P. jacupema, which is probably = P. marail, and his P. leucolophos, which is certainly = Pipile cumanensis. (1788.) Gmelin, in his 'Systema Naturae,' makes no alteration in Crax, but adopts Merrem's genus Penelope with six species. Three of these are good, viz. (1) P. cristata, (2) P. cumanensis = Pipile cumanensis, and (3) P. marail. Gmelin's P. satyra is a Ceriornis, and his P. vociferans is perhaps one of the Mexican Ortalidee. Phasianus motmot and P. parraka of the same author are both equal to O. motmot. (1790.) Latham, in his 'Index Ornithologicus,' very little advances our knowledge. His Crax galeata = Crax pauxi, Lin-neaeus ; but Linnaeus's specific name having been made generic by Temminck, the name galeata must be adopted. (1802.) Azara, in his * Apuntamientos para la historia natural de los pajaros del Paraguay,' gives recognizable descriptions of four species of this group:-(1) el Yacuhu, upon which P. obscura of |