Retrospective Criticism* ^ 



H. V. D. " On the Value of complete Histories of Families of Animals," 

 more especially where the diiSbrent species (as in the case of the willow- 

 wrens) so nearly resemble each other as to be with difficulty distin- 

 guished on a close inspection. I would suggest, too, that in all these 

 cases the remarks should be illustrated with figures, and the synonymes of 

 the principal writers on ornithology investigated and settled as accurately 

 as possible. =.,.•. 



Mr. Yarrell's notice of two species of Gasterosteus, hitherto unknown 

 as natives of Britain, will set me to work ia examinijag the brooks in my 

 own neighbourhood, to discover whether or not they afford any besides the 

 common species. The discovery of a new species. of British fresh-water 

 fish is an event of rare occurrence, and one hardly to be expected except 

 among the minute and mpre neglected kinds, ^itJttpiit presuming to call 

 in question Mr. Yarrell's accuracy, especially ,:tao QO; a Sjubjecfc. which I 

 have. not particularly attended to, I woi^ld .resp^ee^fiiUy ^sk,(and withidefer- 

 ence to his,, bettev judgment ^nd!exp^rifjnce),wfeether,ii;.js noj;; possible, that 

 the distinguishing marks he points out in the three kinds of sticklebacks 

 mayjipVar^^p i^Sier.friQipf? age pjfrftfiXijfiliv^pjfr^ni tr^^l ^peaifiot discrepance. 



, Ar,ti,cle„Vm.,, M Qi;i.^he;Metaiia,orpho.iis, i^f aj Species )of. G&^sida,'by T. Hj," 

 is ,^.f^ir,^pecji;n^)i ^f iu(ji,vjy^yal ^^<;>j^logi(^ i^y^^vjAiiQ^i lije^oltener you 

 p^e%^fl^j.U^.^wi|i|i^ pjip^r^-J^ tio§Qi% iJEixSW; li^. jYiSfflreU, ^^.a>lJl^ tb» 

 bp|;fpr.;rjj ^>..)Y'tjj'(io r;i')biiO( r:ano'j mov ■>-£; ,:'iP <:^o')(i vj dt'A- Lnr ac C3 ut . ' 



It 1^^, been, hinted tp pj|e„tl^a^.ft^§ in^roidUfition5,,ypTj;haye<ioc5asionaJly 

 given us to-different departipeht^.vPi^inf^ural history lare. not much jcelished 

 by somp pf your readers, though tp me^they ;appear quite in* place in such 

 a worjk as ypvirs. The one, however, relating, to Mpilusjcous. Animals, by 

 G. J., of which the,sixth letter is contained in, Ai'ticleIX.,;i^;aa able and ip- 

 teresting essay, abounding with infonnation on a difficult subject, generally 

 but little upderetood. 1 have read these letters with much; satisfaction;^ 



I entirely cpincide in ppinipn with Professor Hen^low as. to," the spe- 

 cific identity of Jnagallis arvensis and c^rulea" (Article XL), a point 

 which Yie, seems to, have, now demoastrated beyond all ppssibility of doubt. 

 Both varieties, occasionally occur together in tl>e saipe cpr.njfields; the 

 blue, where it is found at ^11, somefiixies, gr;eatly predominating over the 

 more comnipn kin4. I pnceir^troducedth^ fpiirmer, into the gardeuy where it 

 prppagated itself by seed for many yea^s^ afldj^pl^s^J greatly )mistak,e,' at 

 length degenerated inl^p the cpmmp«,sort |,>or, pei'h^ps,,rnore properly 

 speaking, \ pught tP aay, returned tp its prfginal t>"Pe.: X hope the^Pro^ 

 fessor.will continue to prpsecut^,;his truly interesting experiments^ and to 

 communicate the results to the worl4,, through the medium of your pa^es. 



The Rev. L. Jenyijs's " Eemarks .upon the late- Winter of 1829^ 30," «&c. 

 (Article XfIL)j cannot fail to be read with ipleasur^, ,byrall who take an 

 interest in meteorological svibj^ctg. All remarkable . seasons,, aod such surely 

 was the pne in question, ought to be reporded in your Magazine. ,. , , 



I, shall lopk with some degree pf interest in a future Number fpr a splutipn 

 pf the difficult problem proposed by E. G. (Article XHI.), in the phenome- 

 npn of a " singular appearance of the rainbow " seen on the shores ,o£ the 

 Solway Frith. Should it be thought, by any one that the, occurrence was 

 observed at a rather suspicious hour of the day, when haply, owing to some 

 slight temporary obliquity of vision, the observer might be led to fancy 

 that he saw more objects than were in reality, presented to the eye, I can 



4if i;i_i '■Mr).. ■;;!'• ■ ; / ;* i< nu'Cinj i; ■ '"','••?■ '.'''. ' m! t .^ 



a Deo fact^ . .^ . T luerunt, ppiis .est P9]5> uniu^ hpmims, nec^ umus £evi. 

 Hinc . . .. Monograph! praestantissimi. -^'S'copo/i. " To describe well all the 

 things in this world which have been made by Gt)d, i? more than the work 

 of one man, or of one age. Hence the great excellence of those who 

 apply themselves to the investigatipn pf individual genera pr species." 



