890 Swainson* s Arrangement of Fly-catchers. 



to its right genus any species except those which are here de- 

 scribed or figured. If also to each genus there had been append- 

 ed a list of all the species which are known to belong to it, it 

 is needless to say how much the value of the work would have 

 been enhanced. Indeed it cannot be considered as a complete 

 synopsis even of the genera, for several important generic 

 forms, (such for instance as the white-headed tody, and the 

 so-called Muscicapa leucocilla), are wholly omitted, possibly 

 because Mr. Swainson has not succeeded in making them 

 square with the quinary arrangement, or the theory of repre- 

 sentation. 



We must also notice the very numerous errors and misprints 

 which occur, not only in this, but in all the other recent pub- 

 lications of Mr. Swainson, — especially in the orthography of 

 the Latin names. Thus we have, at pp. 99 and 105, 'Fluvi- 

 colina? for 'Fluvicola; 'at p. 140, l Mo?iacha, Horsf. and Vig.', 

 for 'Monarchal (a mis-spelling which also runs through the 

 whole of Mr. Swainson' s 'Classification of Birds') ; at p. 162, 

 'flat-bellied' for 'flat-billed? &c. &c. Whether these errata 

 originate with the author or the printer, we know not ; but 

 surely a little less haste in writing, or a little more care in 

 correcting the press, would obviate them. 



We congratulate Mr. Lizars on the great improvement 

 which has lately taken place in his style of engraving birds. 

 Instead of that elaborate scale-like pattern, which makes the 

 figures in some of Sir. W. Jardine's former works on Orni- 

 thology resemble fish rather than birds, we have here a deli- 

 cate hair-like touch, far better adapted to express the softness 

 of plumage. There is however room for improvement in the 

 beaks of Mr. Lizars's figures, Artists are not so well aware 

 as ornithologists of the extreme importance of this organ; they 

 are apt to attend solely to the attitude and plumage, and are 

 too often indifferent to the precise shape of the pointed pro- 

 tuberance which stands for a beak. The fact is, however, 

 that it requires almost as much care and attention to depict 

 this member accurately, as to figure all the rest of the bird. 

 The figures in the present volume are better in this respect 

 than in the volumes on the ' Birds of Western Africa,' but are 

 yet far from perfect. 



