Recently published Ornithological Works. 451 



evince the same unflagging zeal and care on the part of the 

 author which has characterized the earlier portion of the 

 book. 



Signer Adolfo Savi has published the first volume of an 

 'Ornitologialtaliaua'* by his celebrated father, which on the 

 lattcr's death was almost ready for the press, and shows that he 

 laboured to the last with unabated energy in the field which 

 saw some of his earliest successes more than fifty years ago ; 

 for his Catalogue of the Birds of Pisa appeared in 1823. 

 The force of habit may naturally account for the old-fashioned 

 arrangement of the Class continued in the present work. We 

 have Coracias following the Laniidee, and itself followed by 

 the Corvida; next to them comes the "Tribu Corticicoli," 

 made up oiNacifraga and Sitta — an odd conjunction ; and the 

 Hirundinida are placed between Caprimulgus and Cypseliis ; 

 while the whole volume shows an almost unquestioning faith 

 in the gospel according to Temminck^s ' jNIanucl ' — one of the 

 most dangerous errors in Avhich an ornithologist can indulge. 

 But there is little use in criticising the adherence of veterans 

 to their ancient ways. Almost all naturalists have but to live 

 long enough to fall somewhat behind the age ; and the venei'- 

 able professor of Pisa was no exception. Still we should be 

 misleading our readers if we were to induce the ])clicf that 

 the book is entirely antiquated. Very much is it otherwise, 

 and we rejoice to see the adoption in it of many new ideas, 

 not the least of which is that since Italy ceased to be the 

 " geographical expression " it used to be termed, the author 

 bethought him of extending his old ' Ornitologia Toscana ' to 

 an ornithology of the whole country ; and the result is not 

 unworthy of the regenerated nation. In his introduction 

 Savi treats at some length on the method of dividing Birds 

 into two great groups, Altrices and PrcecQces, first instituted 

 by Prof. Sundcvall in 18;j6, and in 18-10 adopted by Bona- 

 parte f. Much is unquestionably to be urged in favour of 



* Ornitologia Italiana, opera postuma del Prof. Comtn. Paolo Savi, 

 Senatore del Kpjtiio. Volume Primo. Firenzo : 1873. 8vo, pp. 478. 



t Mr. Newman has lately intimated (Zool. 1874, p. 400.)) that this 

 notion originati-il with him, and was pvnpoiunlcd to the Zoological S.icictv 



2 I 2 



