276 REVIEW. 



and fell into the hands of the landlord of the Masons' Arms in this place, who stuffed it and 

 hung it up in his parlour as an ornament. The other was shot on Monday, the 17th. instant, 

 in a grass field near the Lobster Inn at Coathain, near this place, and was brought to me on 

 the 21st., for inspection. The first I have succeeded, after some trouble, in procuiing, for the 

 owner was fullj' aware that it was a rara avis. — T. S, Rudd, Eedcar, October 2oth., 1853. 



The Merlin, (Falco JEsalon,) near Banff. — ^I shot a beautiful male specimen of the Merlin on 

 the 15th. of August, on thi ftirm of the Mill of Boyndic, near Banff. It is a rare bird so far 

 north. — Geouge Dox.^luson, Mill of Boyndie, near Banffj September, 1853. 



Brnirn. 



The Eggs of British JBirds, displayed in a series of Engravings, copied and 

 coloured from Nature, with descriptions of British Birds. By C Jexnings. 

 1 The Illustrations by Dicke.s. p. p. 266. Second Eiition, Bath: Binns and 

 " GooDwiy. London: Low and Sons, Etc. 



The above title would lead any one to expect some little information on 

 the subject of the Eggs of all our British Birds as displayed by Engravings, 

 and also descriptions of the Birds themselves. We much regret that we are 

 under the necessity of saying that the Engravings, instead of giving correct 

 information, originate error of the most unpardonable nature. Thus, for instance, 

 we have an Engraving of an Egg under which Thrush is printed, which in 

 size, colour, and markings evidently is intended for that of the Magpie; while 

 under another, clearly intended for that of the Thrush, is the word Magpie. 

 Another labelled Wbod-peclcer Is of a yellowish gray ground, spotted with 

 dark greenish gray. Another labelled Small Woudpeclcer is white, with 

 numerous red spots over it.'^ 'No explanation is given in the text, nor is 

 any special mention made of the colour of these eggs; indeed in very few 

 instances is the colour of any egg named. The Engravings are bad, the 

 colouring worse, and the unacknowledged errors show an amount of ignorance 

 which we did not expect to find in the present enlightened age. 



Instead too of finding figures or descriptions of the Eggs of all our Birds, 

 only between forti/ and ffiij are figured and named; leaving upwards of two 

 hundred and fifty to the imagination of the reader. It is a pity the remaining 

 portion was not also left in the same way. 



The letter-press is pleasingly written as far as it goes, and had the coloured 

 Engravings exhibited any approximation to nature, we could have made every 

 allowance for the small number • of Eggs or Birds included in the volume. 

 We cannot however but think that the title would, even in that case, have been 

 calculated to mislead, as giving the expectation of finding information respecting 

 all our Birds. It is not in our power, nor indeed is it our place, to point 

 out how the gross errors we have named occurred, or were allowed to go 

 before the public without explanation and apology, 



* It is well known that all our Woodpeckers lay u'hite eggs. The egg given as the Crane 

 is that of the Common Heron, and is not above oncrthird the size of the Crane's egg; which 

 is also of an entirely different colour. 



