476 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 



Edward Stanley's, that has a better claim to the cha- 

 racter of originality. 



In thus vindicating the rights of my little book, I 

 am by no means disposed to look upon it as a remark- 

 ably creditable performance. As a history of the Bri- 

 tish Falconine and Strigine Birds it is very imperfect ; 

 but its defects could not be made up by me under ex- 

 isting circumstances ; and, upon the whole, I am not 

 ashamed of introducing it to the public as the first ori- 

 ginal work of a person long accustomed to observe and 

 think for himself. 



It will be observed that, towards the commencement, 

 I have several times taken occasion to criticize Dr Fle- 

 ming's compilation. That work, however, is unworthy 

 of notice, in so far as regards the species described in 

 this volume, even the generic and specific characters 

 given by that " eminent naturalist" being so entirely 

 frivolous and even contradictory, as to be of little use 

 to the student, and of none to the adept. Of other wri- 

 ters I have spoken freely, whether in censure or in 

 praise. This method I consider preferable to that fol- 

 lowed by several individuals of my acquaintance, who 

 pronounce in public " excellent" and " beautiful," what 

 in private they characterize by very different epithets. 

 It is very true, as one has remarked, that " it is much 

 safer to put the foot into a hornet's nest, than provoke 

 a swarm of naturalists ;" but let them come on. 



The number of fresh birds of the twenty-seven spe- 

 cies described that I have in some measure examined, 

 I cannot estimate at less than a hundred and fifty, nor 

 that of skins and stuffed specimens at less than a hun- 



