Mudie's Natural History of Birds. 303 



nomenon in ornithology, brings to my mind the recollection of 

 a passage in the story of poor Lefevre : " Thou hast left this 

 matter short, Trim," said my uncle Toby. — Charles Waterton. 

 Walton Hall, Jan. 7. 1835. 



REVIEWS. 



Art. I. Titles of Works on Subjects of Natural History , published 



recently. 



Meyer, H. L. : Illustrations of British Birds. In monthly 

 Numbers; size, quarto. Price to subscribers, 105. 6d. each 

 Number, coloured ; plain, on India paper, 8s. : to non- 

 subscribers, 12s. 6d. and 105. 



An abstract of the prospectus is given in our p. 128. We 

 received the first number on March 18.: too late for notice 

 in our Number for April. It contains five plates, in which 

 are depicted as follows : — In the first, the sandpiper ; in the 

 second, stonechat, whinchat, and spotted flycatcher, with their 

 eggs ; in the third, the hawk owl ; in the fourth, the wryneck 

 and its egg ; and, in the fifth, the eggs of the sandpiper and 

 hawk owl. An ornithologist has informed us that the figures 

 " are correctly drawn, carefully coloured, and characteristic 

 of the species." He has added : — "I think the wryneck 

 would have appeared more natural if it had been placed in a 

 climbing position upon a tree, as it is seldom seen on the 

 ground : " on which latter place it is represented, standing 

 upon a frond of lichen, on the disk of which ants are depicted ; 

 a plant of Campanula rotundifolia is flowering near. It is 

 part of the author's plan, to accompany the figures of the 

 birds with accessary figures of objects which relate to the 

 bird's history : at the foot of the plate short notices are added. 

 For example, the sandpiper is placed in a landscape in which 

 water is displayed ; and at the foot of the plate is this in- 

 scription : — "Sandpiper, Totanus hypoleucus {Temminck). 

 Length 7| in. ; weight about 2 oz. Food insects ; for which 

 it frequents the pebbly margins of rivers or lakes. Eggs four 

 or five ; either deposited among the stones, or in a slight 

 nest upon the grass. Migratory ; arriving in spring, depart- 

 ing in autumn." One plate is given to the egg of the sandpiper 

 and the egg of the hawk owl. We complain of this. With 

 just as much congruity, and with more convenience to the 

 purchaser of the work, the eggs of a score species of birds 

 might have been given in the same plate. 



