84 A RETROSPECT OF THE LITERATURE 



Prom this austere and sweeping sentence of condemnation, we* 

 are yet half inclined to exempt an interesting little Poem, entitled 

 The Birds of Scotland, by Graham, author of The Sabbath ; and 

 published at Edinburgh, in 1806. It possesses the rare merit of 

 conveying much accurate information on the habits and nidifi cation 

 of the north-British birds, in a strain of very sweet and even fasci- 

 nating song. Compared with the pert, noisy, and passerine twit- 

 terings of Mr. Jennings' vulgar muse, the chaste and melodious out- 

 pourings of the spirit of the Scottish bard fall on the enraptured ear, 

 ^ike the morning-hymn of the musical thrush, or the " sweet lamen- 

 tations of the solitary nightingale to the evening-star." 



In our anxiety to despatch the minor brood of ornithological 

 scribes — the Warblers of their class, — we have somewhat deviated 

 from the line of history, and considerably outstripped our sober 

 guide. We must now retrace our steps to contemplate the remnant 

 of the Eagles. In the year 1820, appeared, in two octavo volumes, 

 the truly scientific and valuable Manual of European Ornithology 

 (Manuel d'Ornitkologie, ou Tableau Si/stematique des Oiscaux qui 

 ^e trouvent en Europe), of Temminck. This work, the production 

 of a Dutchman, is written in the French language. Its enlightened 

 author seems to have zealously, and almost exclusively, devoted his 

 life and fortune to the study of his subject ; and to have visited all 

 the more celebrated museums, and every accessible region, of Eu- 

 rope, in search of the requisite information. The arrangement 

 which he has adopted, is, with very rare exceptions, that of his great 

 predecessor, Linnseus : and his few and slight deviations are inva- 

 riably dictated by sound judgment, and sanctioned by deliberate re- 

 flection. His mind is, fortunately, untainted with the fashionable 

 rage — that worse than Cholera-plague of modern science, — for in- 

 venting new systems, and forging new names, more unintelligible 

 and discordant than, erst, the tongues which broke upon the ear of 

 ancient Babel. These volumes, the first edition of which was pub- 

 lished in 1815, comprehend almost every known species of European 

 bird; and constitute an admirable text -book for the student. A 

 new edition, with many important additions, is, we understand, on 

 the eve of publication. 



Werner, a German artist, resident at Paris, commenced, some five 



