OF BRITISH ORNITHOLOGY. 99 



The last work upon our list is A Guide to an Arrangement of 

 British Birds, by the Rev. Francis Orpen Morris. It may be more 

 correctly designated a Guide to Nomenclature , — for in point of ar- 

 rangement it is very defective ; — and,, as such^ Mrould have been 

 very serviceable in supplying a series of labels for an ornithological 

 collection, had not the sins of omission and commission which it ex- 

 hibits, been so numerous and glaring as greatly to impair, if not ut- 

 terly destroy, its utility for such purpose. On whose or on what 

 authority, we would beg leave to inquire, has the Reverend Author 

 given the Falco lithofalco as a species distinct from the F. cesalon, or 

 Merlin; or Emberiza chlorocephala, — merely, we believe, an acciden- 

 tal variety of E. citrinella, — as specifically different from the latter 

 bird ? On what ground, also, has he excluded the fork-tailed Kite, 

 Tengmalm*s Owl, and Gould's newly- discovered species of Motacilla, 

 and ReguluSj from the '^British Fauna:" on whose assertion, admit- 

 ted Picus medius as a British bird ? The blunders of the Printer are 

 scarcely less " rife and rank'' than those of his clerical " Guide." 

 Aquila chri/saetuSj Otus brachi/otus, Otus aurita, StrixJiammenSj Strix 

 strididdij Saxicola ienanthe, Sylvia atricap^illa, Tetrax tetrix, Tetrax 

 nrogallusj Rallus aqualicus, Mergus ^errator, and whole Snipe, are 

 a few only of the errors, discrepancies, and obscurities, which a very 

 cursory inspection of this well-meant but most faulty production has 

 enabled us to detect. Three of the mistakes, however, justice re- 

 quires us to add, have been noticed in the list of Errata. We are, 

 at the same time, and by a like sense of justice, impelled to declare 

 that the " Guide," now offered, by the Rev. F. O. Morris, to the 

 British Ornithologist, is a very blind one. 



Up to the present time, thirteen parts of Mr. Gould's European 

 Birds have made their appearance. In our next number, we shall 

 commence a regular series of analytical and critical notices,— ^ach 

 notice embracing three or four Parts, — of this splendid and unri- 

 valled work. 



Birmingham, September 12th, 1835. 



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