52 Catalogue of Wor^ks on Natural History. 



right (hard as that right is,) to the possession of free copies. 

 It is singular that nearly the whole of the remaining sub- 

 scribers are provincial, principally from Yorkshire, Liverpool, 

 and Manchester. This, however, may be accounted for, by 

 M. Audubon having visited these parts of England. I 

 conclude that in London his name and his wprks have not 

 yet come into notice ; that they assuredly will, ere long, I 

 have no doubt. There is superabundant wealth, (and the 

 liberality to use it too,) in the metropolis alone, sufficient 

 to insure the continuation of ten such works, could they be 

 found. 



I have no personal acquaintance with M. Audubon. I 

 never even saw him. The copy of his work, which furnished 

 these remarks, has been lent to me. These are vouchers 

 for my sincerity and disinterestedness. But I can appre- 

 ciate genius ; and I shall ever employ my poor abilities to 

 make it known. My praise shall be well directed, and I 

 shall then feel assured it will ultimately have weight. 



W. S. 



Art. II. Catalogue of Works on Natural History, latelt/ published, 

 tviih some Notice of those considered the most interesting to British 

 Naturalists. 



Britain. 



Wilson, William fEsq.F.R.S.E., Member of the Wernerian Natural History 

 Society : Illustrations of Zoology; being Representations of new, rare, 

 or otherwise remarkable subjects of the Animal Kingdom, drawn and 

 coloured after Nature : with descriptive Letter-press. Blackwood, Edin- 

 burgh. Cadell, London. Atlas 4to. Nos. I. II. III. and IV. 16*. each. 



The object of this magnificent work is to convey coloured represent- 

 ations (whenever possible, of the size of life,) of whatever animals are the 

 most signalised by nature for their scarcity or beauty, or for any extra- 

 ordinary peculiarities in their form, structure, instinctive habits, particular 

 dispositions, or general economy of life. The plates are accompanied by 

 detailed statements of the generic and specific characters of the animals 

 delineated ; and the representation of every separate order, or extensive 

 natural group of the animal kingdom, is preceded by a short introductory 

 essay, in which the general characters of that division are very delightfully 

 explained. This we conceive to be a principal, and very important 

 feature in Mr. Wilson's work, that every species is made to represent and 

 illustrate the history of many others ; and thus, in a condensed space, a 

 student, while following out the history of a single species, may acquire an 

 accurate knowledge of the essential relations of an extensive generic group. 



Most of our author's materials appear to be drawn from the Edinburgh 

 Museum, a most richly stored zoological collection, of the origin, pro- 

 gress, and present condition of which, we hope, ere long, to provide our 

 readers with a compendious history. The work now under review is in- 

 tended mainly to illustrate the novelties of that museum j but, at the same 

 time, the author's pages are open to efficient communications from all 

 other quarters. Indeed his principal object seems to be to relieve the 



