Mudie' s British Naturalist. 495 



REVIEWS. 



Art. I. Notices of Works in Natural History. 



Mudie, Robert : The British Naturalist. 2d Edition. London, 



Orr and Smith, 1835. 



In our review of the first edition of the British Naturalist 

 (V. 49 — 71.), we spoke, on the whole, very favourably of 

 the work ; but, at the same time, as our manner is, we took 

 the liberty of finding, here and there, a little fault with it, and 

 pointing out what we conceived to be a few of its errors and 

 imperfections. Authors, we believe, seldom pay much regard 

 to the remarks of reviewers : sometimes, indeed, they treat us 

 with great indifference and contempt, affecting not to have 

 the curiosity even to read our criticisms. In a general way, 

 therefore, we ought not, perhaps, to expect that our sugges- 

 tions should be much attended to by those whom they are 

 mainly intended to concern. From Mr. Mudie, however, in 

 the present instance, we had hoped better things ; for we 

 happen to know that he did read our article, and, in conse- 

 quence, addressed a letter (now lying before us) to the editor 

 of this Magazine, expressing his obligation for the favourable 

 notice taken therein of his work, admitting that the critique 

 was just, and stating that, in a second edition, which would 

 ere long be forthcoming, he should be U able to profit by the 

 hints of the reviewer •, which are all very much to the purpose." 

 With this letter, which, moreover, was not a little compliment- 

 ary to ourselves individually, we confess we were gratified : 

 it convinced us that we had performed our office as reviewers 

 fairly and impartially; and it afforded us a sort of guarantee 

 (so, at least, we flattered ourselves) that what we had written 

 would have worked well, and would prove not to have been 

 written in vain. Now, relying, as we did, implicitly on the 

 good faith of this epistle, we very lately sent for the second 

 edition of the British Naturalist ; and our readers may judge 

 of our surprise and disappointment when we tell them that, 

 on comparing the two together, we find all the blemishes and 

 blunders which we pointed out in the first edition repeated 

 verbatim in the second, even down to the most glaring typo- 

 graphical errors ! This, after what has been stated, we really 

 think is too bad. Were it only from a regard to his own 

 literary character, Mr. Mudie, we should have thought, would 

 have made the second a corrected and i?nproved edition. In 

 mere matters of taste, one man may have as much right to in- 

 dulge his fancy as another ; perhaps, therefore, we ought not 

 to quarrel with our author for having introduced again into 

 the second edition the pretty fable about Hannah Lamond 

 and the eagle, much as it may be out of place (p. 69. 2d. ed.); 



