Herr Badekei-'s and Dr. Brewer's Oological Works. 401 



legists who smile with benignant pity at the simplicity of those 

 followers of old Sir Thomas Brown's example who make a study 

 of egg-shells. Not recognizing the possibility of deducing from 

 them any ideas worthy to be entertained by sensible men, they re- 

 gard the possessors of egg-cabinets simply as weak victims of an 

 uncontrollable propensity for acquisitiveness, much indeed as Cap- 

 tain Lemuel Gulliver, of veracious memory, looked upon the 

 Yahoos with their hoards of shining stones, whereof they were 

 so " violently fond." But the number of these ornithological 

 pui'ists is decreasing, and at any rate there are persons enough 

 — among whom we hope to count a majority of our readers — 

 who think differently from them, and we will therefore waste 

 no time in attempting to convert the remainder, or in offering 

 any excuses for occupying these pages with a somewhat general 

 article on Oology, 



Both the works of which the titles stand at the head of this 

 paper are most welcome additions to egg-literature. To that of 

 Herr Fr. W. J. Badeker we shall give priority of notice, since it 

 saw the light before Dr. Brewer's. Brief allusion to its merits 

 has already been made in a former Number of the ' Ibis ' {aatea, 

 p. 203), and that it will be found of great utility to naturalists 

 is not to be doubted ; but it is fair to say that it has some draw- 

 backs, among which its unnecessarily large size and the irregu- 

 larity of its appearance are not inconsiderable. There are, 

 besides, certain defects in the execution of the plates, of which we 

 shall presently speak. With all this, however, it is to be highly 

 commended. Four parts {Lieferungen) are now before us, each of 

 which contains eight plates, comprising numerous figures, often 

 indeed a good series, of varieties of the same species. Thus are 

 afforded representations of no less than five examples of the eggs 

 of Buteo leucurus, eight of Sterna hirundo, and of others in like 

 proportion, and the specimens chosen for illustration, as far as 

 we are able to judge, are generally well- selected. When it is 

 considered that in this portion of the work upwards of sLx 

 hundred and eighty eggs are figured, while as yet but about two 

 hundred nominal'^ species are treated of, some accurate notion 



* Of course it is only natural that Herr Ludwig Brehm, who, assisted by 

 Herr W. Passler, is the author of the letter-press accompanying Herr 

 VOL. I. 2 F 



