Recent Ornithological Publications. 103 



their farms and fields, but would not care to bestow similar 

 favours upon figures of the inhabitants of distant parts of the 

 Continent. When the large capital invested in the production 

 of Mr. Gould's work is considered, and its great importance in 

 extending the national taste for natural history is fully esti- 

 mated, it must be obvious that the author is bound, not only 

 in justice to himself, but also in the interests of science, to use 

 every legitimate method of extending its circulation in this 

 country. 



Mr. Gould has, we believe, as yet issued no prospectus of his 

 'Birds of Great Britain,' but we understand he intends to 

 publish two parts every year, at the price of three guineas a part, 

 and that he hopes to be able to bring the whole work to a con- 

 clusion in about eight or nine years. Each part contains fifteen 

 plates, with the accompanying letter-press. In our notice of the 

 expected appearance of the work appended to our last Number, 

 we stated that Mr. Gould was devoting more than usual care 

 and attention to the production of these illustrations. We think 

 it will be allowed by all who are acquainted with the general 

 character of illustrations to works on natural history that, in 

 his ' Birds of Great Britain,' Mr. Gould has not only surpassed 

 others, but, with the assistance of his fellow-artists, Messrs. Wolf 

 and Richter, in some of the portraits of our familiar species of 

 birds given in his two first numbers, has fairly surpassed him- 

 self. Those who can afi'ord to spend a small annual sum for 

 the next eight or nine years in acquiring a work which must, as 

 regards illustrations, inevitably become and remain for many 

 years the standard of reference of all British ornithologists, can- 

 not do better than subscribe to Mr. Gould's 'Birds of Great 

 Britain.' 



2. French Publications. 



M. L. Maillard's recently issued work upon Reunion*, as the 

 French now term the Island of Bourbon, contains some details 

 on the ornithology of that island, which it is interesting to be 

 able to compare with what we know of the Avi-faunas of Mau- 



* Notes sur I'ile de la Reunion (Bourbon). Par L. Maillard : Paris, 

 1862. 8vo. 



