tS Retrospective Criticism. 



big as gnats ! " nay, " to such an extraordinary height were they carried, 

 that their mangled bodies were actually in the air ten minutes or more, by 

 a stop-watch, before they descended to the earth ! ! ! " But enough of 

 these marvels. Should Agronome again be visited by a similar paroxysm 

 of the " scribendi cacoethes," I trust you will hesitate before you send his 

 nonsense to the press. The insertion of such absurd articles does far more 

 injury to your publication than the mere occupying of so much space, 

 which ought have been dedicated to talu^blemattei'. It is calculated to 

 bring the wol-k itself into discredit. For so it is^— such is the contami- 

 nating effect of intercourse with 'evil -^ that even that which is good seems 

 in some degree to suffer deteriotation when found in bad company. A 

 few moi'e such at tides as 'Agrbnome's would be enough to damn your 

 whole Ma(gazine. I as^re ychj- for example, that had I beeh previously 

 unacquainted with the WG*i<k,{,yhd had picked tip this Sixteenth Number, 

 and >€lropped wpoh ' thfe' ' iaf ticle ' in 'tjue^ibn-; t ^hiittld hate fdt' disposed to 

 throw ■ down, the: bo^k ' iri ^;^afgri^," ftiid ' proliably h«t6 >ri6yfef'Ibbkred %W it 



But' \ passl >(Jii^!toqtt bi*0iag>dttfiMe ^^'^fctV-'^>A*tf^e9' ^'l\ arid'^VlI., ,bh 

 the?' British, willo<W>\n^^,*'^d'"k)rtie' 4'd''t^ ari^oS^!^r^.^^Bpi^lJi^s'f>'^^^ of 

 sticklebacks, afe VW^y'^fecfltii ^mni'itit^miwk'^^i^^-' 'The Wi1*l<bW''\vrens 

 are^ cMfegsMy .^ fnost jJ^r^kirlg ^tribe'^#yrtl3;'aiid.l t^'iadtbdrit^ of 

 them to be met with in books are, as your correspondent observes, inv61fed 

 in n«( littlfe'Obseurtty^acid'coftfiiyfeH. ■ Tfebir plumage' k'iH"feoWi'e-(fasef^*so 

 much alikei and that of thef-ybdn^ 'bird^ <)ccasionally so difffei^ent froin that 

 of theold^that it'Veqilirea an' acutfe tmd practised eye iri theohe bdse to 

 distinguish those Hvhich • are- of 'distinct spedefe, ah'd iri the dthef' riot to 

 sepal-aHe iridividn&ls ''which '^re-'ofthe same. ' For "myself I kno^' them 

 better by. the ear than fey the eye. Ahd'it may not be out of pfaee here to 

 relate what occurred to toe in an attempt to aseertE^in two of the species in 

 question, Which, I believf^,' Were' tih^' yellow Wren iind thelesser pettychaps. 

 I had long been perfectly farrliliarwith the notes of each (which are totally 

 distinct, 'and' caflnot be mislake^A), and was awai'e that they appeared, Of at 

 least commenced -their Song, at different periods of the 3 ear; but I Was 

 uncertain as to their- tftfe names and spedes. I resolved therefore to shobt 

 specimens <jf each.' And' in order to-bfe quite J?are that my aim was dii-eCted 

 to the- objecti'I'WaAted, I'too^k thfe opportunity of -shooting theni while 

 they were engaged in thq act of feinging, so as to preclude the possibility of 

 mistake. On examining the sjiechhens when shot,, f was ex<:eecfcngly sur- 

 prised' to 'find them so much alike in plumtige, that I could with difficulty 

 distin^sh one' from the othef; and when they Were returned to me after 

 having beert' "sthiSfed, I really Was in doilbfr which' was which'. 1 coiild have 

 wished yoiir correspondent T.F. had entered more into the habits and 

 manners' of' these- interesting little creatures^, and especially that he had 

 described their nol?es, together with their 'riests slnd'teggs"; and I hope you 

 will hear from him again' ofter* on' similar subjeets. ' We have"' already ^had 

 ** descriptive kVid historical notices of British' snipies.*' (Vol; 11. p* l^-S./and 

 Vol. H'l.'pi'g'}''.) ^i' Some others of ohrti'atSve bird*' I should t)e glad to see 

 illustrated Tft the i^atne -way *, quite freeing with yoUf correspondent 



"^7-T»iV* of ti-c fKf'iii:>» n 1 -n^vdo -^tij loi-'- '.o ■> "^tH-U-. 7''f--'(w;ir j1 lii"-f - 

 ' * • Asi''<f."g-r '^h6' VMt^thf 6ats; 7tes, feariapffi^rfe,'grebfe^; k\^idg6(in^; '&c. SiLy 

 or at least the nearly allied species in each tribe. The same remark, too, 

 I would extend to subjects of entomology; and in this department you 

 have some able ' cdh'efspondetits, veell ealculated for such discussions, as 

 Mr. Rennie, Mr. SWainson, aud l(for the rhore minute insects especially) 

 Mr. Westwood with his lynx eyes. Mr. Stephens, too, if he would conde- 

 scend, might afford some valuable contributions, as might also that veteran 

 in scientific lore, Mr. Haworth. " Omnia bene describere, qua? in hoc mundo 



