PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 395 



1837-5i. Macgillivray, W.— Continued. 



. Vol. III. I Reptatores, Creepers; Scausores, Climbers; CuculimB ; 1 

 Raptatores, Pluntlorers, or Rapacious Birds ; | Excursores, Snatchers ; Voli- 

 tatores, Gliders; | Jaculatores, Darters. ] [Imprint as above.] | l!^40. 1 p. 1., 

 ])p. i-xii, 1-768, figg. 186-276, pll. xiv-xxii. 



Vol. IV. I Cursores, or Runners. | Tentatores, or Probers. | Aucupatores, 

 or Stalkers. | Latitores, or Skulkers. [ Loudon: | William S. Orr, and Co., 

 Amen Corner, | Paternoster Row. | l>'.>. pp. i-xxviii, 1-700, figg". 1-59, pll. 

 xxiii-xxvi (or i-iv). 



Vol. V. I Cribratores, or Sifters. | Urinatores, or Divers. | Mersatores, 

 or Plungers. | [Imprint as last al)ove. ] I 185 >. pi.. i-xx, l-f388, figg. 60-100, pll. 

 xxvii-xxix (or v— vii). 



The last 2 vols, having thus a tliffcivut inii.iiiit from that i>f the tirst 3, and beina; separated 

 therefrom by a considerable interval of tini- ((Imiii- wliirli Enjielmann's Bibl. appeared), the 

 work has somotimes been cited as of only :i vols. P.nt the 5 vols, are continuous and uniform 

 parts of cue "History." 



This is Macgill'iviay's opus maijiin.m ,• not to be confounded with his " Manual '" in 2 vols., 

 1840-t2. 



Opinion differs greatly rospectiu.u; the merit of Macgilliviay's work, and it is not easy to 

 decide in a case whore one's estimate must depend so much upon wh(ither one likes the author 

 or not ; for this writer's personality colors his work throughout, and almost necessarily im- 

 liresses itself upon the reader. For instance, Macgillivray is to me personally so agreeable a 

 companion, that I doubt not that my warm appreciation of his ability and acquirements is 

 <ipcuto a charire of favoritism. His writings attract me strongly; and possess for me the 

 n:ini(ltss I'.isiiniitiim that thousands have felt in perusing the pages of Gilbert White or of 

 Ahxanilcr Wilson. .\[,iru,illivniy appears to have been of an irritable, highly sensitized tem- 

 pi lanicut, tircil witli cuthusiasiu and ambition, yet contending, for some time at least, with 

 poverty, ill-health, and a perhaps not well-founded though not therefore the h^ss acutely-felt 

 sense "of neglect; thus ceaselessly nerved to jvccomplish, yet as continually haunted with the 

 dread of failure. The result of such an unstal)lc (Mpulibrium as this will dei)end mostly upon 

 circumstances; there is the impetus within, but the direction it takes will be along the line 

 of least resistance. This author was undoubtedly unwise in his frankness : but diplomacy is 

 a stranger to such characters. The strength of our universal instinct of self-preservation 

 sometimes converts an attitude intended to be simply defensive into (me positively oflensive; 

 and Macgillivi-ay's way of handling people whom he disliked or despised often savored of 

 arrogance. It may be doubted that there, was really any " holier than thou " feeling at heart, 

 whatever his seeming assumption of sup.-rior knowledge or greater love of truth in compari- 

 son with his peers. If be never hesitated to differ sharply with any one, or to express his 

 own views pointedly— if he scarcely disguised his contempt for tritlers, blockheads, pedants, 

 compihu-s. and theorizers— if he was also fallihle. even as the rest of us— he was nevertheless 

 aloverof n:itur.\ an original thinker, a hard student, and, finally, tin ornithologist of large 

 practical experience, who wrote down what he knew or believed to be true with great regard 

 (for accuracy of statement and in a very agi-peablo manner. 



I suppose this elaborate aud extended "History" to bo one of the most accurate and reli- 

 able of the many which handle the same subject : and it is doubtless, to many besides my- 

 self, one of the most mitertaining. I am competent to judge of the fidelity of Macgillivray 's 

 pictures of bird-life only in the instances of birds commim to America and Europe ; but in 

 such cases they tally well with luy own experiences; aad when writing descriptions of the 

 form and colors of birds, I find it of no lit t le assistance to have Macgillivray 's page before me 

 as well as the specimens themselves, '('here is no iiuestion of this author's ai^curaey and 

 dearuess in describing specimens in h;ind. 



Besides the specific d.^scriptions wliicli form most of the text of tliis work, tliere is a good 

 deal of general ovuit'.iolo- , in the matters of classification and anatomy— the lat t ci csiiccially 

 relating to the stru<-tu!-e of tlic diuestive system, upon which the author's classilic at ion is so 

 lar-'ely based. For :\[ it .iillivrav, it will be reniembered, discovered or invciitnl for himself 

 a classification of hiicls, which has at least thti merit of being original with him, and of rep- 

 resontiu'j: conclusions derived from ;utu;d observation. He developed his system consist- 

 ently, and published it with express uut'oncern for its fate at the hands of others; he liked 

 it, and if others did not, so much the worse for them— did they expect him to furnish br^iqs 

 also ; The outline of this system may be seen from the above title. Though based upon 

 anatomical structure, it is, in lact, one of the purest physiological or sr>-called " teleological" 

 classifications we have had ; worked out upon the adaptive modifications of certain organs. 

 It thus proceeds upon what appears to an Evolutionist of to-day to be a radiciilly false pre- 

 mise: aud its agroement in any points witli a schem:- based upon i)ur,-ly morphological con- 



