Recently published Ornithological Works. 493 



and gaudy decorations of Selby, Gould, Dresser," and says 

 that the illustrations to Booth's ' Rough Notes ' make the 

 student gasp for breath. To improve our corrupt taste he 

 gives us 68 photographs, some from life and some from 

 mounted groups, the best of which — by comparison — have 

 little to do with Broad-life; for instance, the Merlins feeding 

 their young, and the Gannets in the downy stage. In his 

 letterpress he is continually striving to show how muchhetter 

 informed he is than other people, and how he has taken his 

 facts direct from nature ; yet his own mistakes are numerous, 

 while his disregard of the laws of syntax appals the reader 

 who is struggling to grasp the author's meaning. That he 

 should include the Swift as one of the four "Swallows" 

 might be expected, but when he states that the. first to come 

 over is the Swallow, appearing early in April, we would ask 

 when do the Sand-Martins arrive ? It is satisfactory to 

 learn that Whinchats are paii'ed by the beginning of June, 

 because if they delayed much longer it might be had for the 

 brood ! '^ Parrot-like" is the term he considers appropriate 

 to the beak of the Bullfinch. To conclude, here is a gem of 

 composition : — " The Grey Crow will sit for hours in damp 

 weather, moping like a Wood-Pigeon. Although inaccurate 

 literary hodmen have said they never keep still, any gunner 

 in Norfolk could teach these pseudo-scientists better." Poor 

 restless hodmen ! 



111. Field Columbian Museum' s first Publication, 



[A n Historical and Descriptive Account of the Field Columbian Museum. 

 Vol. I. no. 1. Chicago, U.S.A. : December, 1894.] 



If we are correct in what we gather from an examination 

 of the first publication of the " Field Columbian Museum," 

 the objects of this new institution, which was opened on the 

 2nd June, 1894, are to " commemorate the World's Colum- 

 bian Exposition, and to create an additional factor in the 

 world's educational equipment." After a report of the pro- 

 ceedings on the day of opening, the present publication gives 



SER. VII. — VOL. I. 2 M 



