and forthcoming Bird-Books. 173 



the life-like portraits of our feathered favourites with which 

 Mr, Gould has here presented us, and which cannot fail to 

 interest a large number of the wealthy and educated class of 

 the community in the study of British birds. 



Mr. Dresser proceeds rapidly with the ' Birds of Europe/ 

 of which, since the defection of Mr. Sharpe, he has the sole 

 control. The 25th part of this work is now before us, and 

 rivals those that preceded it in the interest of its contents. 

 There can be no question as to the vast amount of labour 

 bestowed upon its production, nor as to its great superiority 

 as regards solid information over every previous work upon 

 the subject. The minute attention paid to range and varia- 

 tion particularly commends it to the scientific naturalist. 

 We see, however, with some concern that the author has fallen 

 a victim to the prevailing epidemic for discovering antiquated 

 names and giving them precedence over those generally in use. 

 The nomenclature of even the great Linnaeus himself, in our 

 eyes far too sacred to be tampered with, is in some cases ruth- 

 lessly supplanted; witness the wonderful generic term Mr. 

 Dresser has adopted for the Spoonbill. Nothing can be more 

 satisfactory than the way in which Mr. Dresser has worked 

 out some of the difficult members of the genus Saxicola in 

 his last number; nothing can be less satisfactory than the 

 changes he has proposed to introduce into the names of some 

 of the best-known species. 



Prof. Newton's new edition of ' Yarrell's British Birds ' 

 likewise moves on, though not so speedily as its quarto 

 rival. Part vii., just issued, takes us through the Titmice 

 into the Wagtails. Great difficulties occur in both these 

 groups, which the author has surmounted in his usual judi- 

 cious manner. Parus britannicus is discreetly left among 

 those forms in which " specific difierentiation has not been 

 entirely established,^' and our old friend Parus ater put back 

 into his proper place in the British list. Hurrah for the con- 

 servative reaction ! In the case of the Wagtails Motacilla yur- 

 relli is kept distinct from M. alba, but conclusively shown to 

 be the true M. lugubris of Teraminck, which name is adopted 

 for it. 



It might have been supposed that three such books on one 



