238 Journal of Tnnrl and Natural History 



THE BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA* 



THIS work of 382 pages has been a laborious undertaking, 

 which could only have been satisfactorily carried out by an 

 ornithologist of ripe attainments. The accomplished Honorary 

 Curator of the South African Museum at Cape-Town is specially 

 qualified for the task, not only by his long residence in the country 

 where ornithology has been his favourite pursuit, but by his 

 previous well-known researches in different branches of zoology 

 in Ceylon and elsewhere. He has enjoyed opportunities of study- 

 ing the bird-fauna of various parts of the world, from the United 

 States of North America to New Zealand, and few have profited 

 more by those opportunities. Accordingly, he was well prepared 

 to supply a useful digest of the ample materials at his disposal, 

 and to present it in a systematic form for the convenience of his 

 brother naturalists in other regions. 



In the preface to this work it is remarked, that "many birds are 

 herein described that have no claim to be considered as South 

 African beyond the dicta of the old authors. This has been done 

 to serve as a beacon to others, that they may avoid the labour and 

 trouble which I have had in determining their true localities." 

 Well and good ; but we cannot but consider it a blemish in the 

 book that such species, or even alleged species, for some of them 

 are entirely fictitious, and others well known inhabitants of India, 

 South America, and elsewhere, which can quite safely be pro- 

 nounced to be entirely foreign to South Africa, should nevertheless 

 be numbered like the rest, so as to give a total of 792 species 

 that exist or have been untruly rei)orted to exist in the region 

 treated of. Now, about 84 species so admitted require to be 

 deducted, thus reducing the number to 708 species, or thereabouts. 

 We should prefer to have seen all notices of doubtful species, and 

 especially of those which are indubitably foreign to South Africa, 

 printed in smaller type, or (as we hear that this was actually im- 

 practicable in Cape-Town, from deficiency of the requisite type!) 



* The Birds of South Africa. A Descriptive Catalogue of the known Species 

 occurring south of the 28th parallel of south latitude. By Edgar Leopold 

 Layard, F.Z.S., &c. 1867. Longman, Green, & Co., 39 Paternoster Row, 

 London. 



