^SIOO Ttetrospective Criticism, 



I would say also, that as learning will not necessarily render her less amiable, 

 if she have inclination and leisure, there is no reason why she should not 

 .be both learned ajid loveable ; and to this remark, I suspect, it will be wise 

 in Conchilla to assent. 



Some other passages in the Magazine would tempt me to remark upon 

 them; but lest, by my own showing, I should prove myself to be the most 

 unloveable of women, as being utterly destitute of wisdom, I will herecon- 

 .clude, remaining. Sir, yours, &c. — Anglica. Saturday, May 31. 



Deciduous Scale on the Bills of Birds. — Mr. Yarrel has the credit of 

 •having first brought into notice the fact, that the bills of birds are, before 

 they are hatched, strengthened by a deciduous scale, which enables them to 

 perforate and burst the shell. {Jennings^s Ornithologia, p. 63.) This circum- 

 .stance, however, has been long known to rural housewives; for, as soon as 

 the chickens are hatched, the first care bestowed upon them is, displacing 

 the scale with the nail of the thumb, to enable the young to pick up their 



, Translation and derivation of Technical Terms. — I take the liberty of 

 /saying that the practice you have adopted of translating the technical 

 terms, and giving their derivation, is a very unpleasant one to the reader, 

 and rather distracts him than otherwise. The translations, derivations, and 

 accentuations might, I think with advantage, occupy, as a glossary, the last 

 page of the Numbers. — A. Berwick, May 5\. 



We hardly expected to be blamed for the very great trouble we take, 

 and the expense that we incur with the printer, in giving the derivations 

 complained of; but perhaps it is good for us to be chastened, for too much 

 Jabour is as bad as too little. We acknowledge the unpleasantness cora- 



fjlained of, but thought, and still think, the translations and derivations 

 ikely to have the best chance of being remembered when given where they 

 occur; but perhaps they are not worth remembering, and if other readers 

 are of the same opinion as A., we shall relinquish the practice. We mean 

 to introduce all the important translations and derivations of technical terms, 

 and scientific names given, into the general index at the end of each volume, 

 where they will remain for future reference, as we do not intend to give 

 (often at least) the translations and derivations of the same words twice. 

 7— Cond. 



The Perennial Calendar for various parts of Europe. — By noticing 

 more particularly the wild plants, their affinities to birds and insects will be 

 at length perceived ; and we might have (what I have often wished to see) 

 a calendar by which the flowering of a plant should acquaint us with the 

 appearance of a bird, and the appearance of an insect tell us the flowering 

 of a plant. Undoubtedly there will be less trouble in generalising, by 

 having, as you propose, a select number of plants and animals marked out 

 the same for each station ; but if facts and useful observations are to be 

 gathered, do not confine the observer to these ; let each, in addition, insert 

 what is most applicable to his own locality, and interesting facts may then 

 be obtained from each station. It is astonishing how many curious circum- 

 stances in natural history have been noticed and forgotten, for want of a 

 register to record them. This being no longer the case, it is to be hoped 

 that every naturalist will produce his store, that whatever is valuable may 

 \>e gathered before it is too late. Would it not also be generally useful to 

 have a list of the less common wild plants of each station ? We look into 

 our Floras, and perceive the habitat of a rare plant put down in a place 

 probably 150 miles from us, while perhaps it is lurking in our own vicinity 

 all the while. To the traveller, to the botanist, and to the young enquirer, 

 how useful would such lists be ! — Edwin Lees, Worcester , May 8. 1828. 



