CRITICAL NOTICES 01" NEW PUBLICATIONS. 141 



ing the work, and omit the rest, as often tedious and uninterest- 

 ing; but the full details will prove extremely useful, in many 

 cases, in determining species where the distinguishing characters 

 are few and intricate. The habits are related in a plain and un- 

 assuming but engaging manner ; the anatomical particulars form a 

 new and valuable feature of the hook ; and the principal synonyms 

 are supplied at the head of each article. The engravings on wood 

 and steel, for the most part, fully equal the expectations we had 

 formed in this particular from the excellent drawings we have 

 elsewhere seen from the pencil of IMr. IVIacGillivray. We regret, 

 however, to notice that in many cases the wood-cuts of the heads — 

 in our opinion, the most important illustrations in the work — are 

 not executed with that exactitude which we could have desired. 

 Many of them ai'e good, several indifferent, but certainly, we 

 must own, none very bad, if we except the head and bill of the 

 Green Grosbeak, to which we have already alluded. In short, we 

 only desiderate figures of the entire birds. It may be replied that 

 these may be had in the works of Bewick and half a dozen other 

 authors. But we should wish every work that is issued on British 

 Ornithology to be as complete as possible in itself, in order that stu- 

 dents whose means will not permit their purchasing more than one 

 work on each department of Natural History may not be disappoint- 

 ed when they have made their selection, as it must be obvious that 

 good figures, either coloured or plain, are far preferable to the most 

 elaborate description. 



We shall feel much pleasure in laying before our readers some 

 account of the continuation of this work when published, and feel 

 assured that our author will not blame us for giving our opinion of 

 his first volume so freely and unreservedly. 



Memorials of Shreivsbury ; being a concise Description of the 

 Town and its Environs, adapted as a general Guide for the Infor- 

 mation of Visitors and Residents. By Henry Pidgeon. Shrews- 

 bury: Eddowes. 1837. Sm. 8vo., pp. 223. 



Shrewsbury is an interesting and important old town, and Mr. 

 Pidgeon has treated his subject in such a manner as to render it 

 acceptable to all classes of readers. The prevailing fault of the ma- 

 jority of our county and city memorials is their extreme dryness, 

 which prevents their being of the slightest value to any hut the 

 learned few. The various topics contained in this neat little 

 volume are, the situation, foundation, and etymology of Shrews- 

 bury ; its ancient histor}"^ ; castle and feudal state ; present state of 

 the town ; ecclesiastical buildings ; Royal Free Grammar School ; 

 local governments, charters, &c. ; public buildings ; charitable in- 

 stitutions ; charity schools ; walks within and without the walls ; 

 literary and scientific institutions ; recreations ; suburbs ; Castle 

 Foregate ; Abbey Foregate ; trade and manufactures ; environs. 



We arc much pleased with both letter-press and illustrations ; 



