1864. | Jurvon’s Birds of India. 179 
Dr. Jerdon next proceeds to the difficult subject of the classifica- 
tion of birds, and adopts as his system, nearly that of Mr. George 
Gray, as given in his ‘ List of Genera.’ Finally, he concludes his in- 
troduction with a sketch of the physical features of Northern, Central, 
and Southern India, in relation to their respective Faunas, and gives 
some account of what has already been effected by different natu- 
ralists who have devoted their attention to various points of the area 
embraced in these three divisions. The names of Franklin, Tickell, 
Sykes, and Hodgson are all well known in connection with the earliest 
researches made in Indian Ornithology. The latter gentleman espe- 
cially, who was for many years resident at the Court of Nepaul, 
laboured long and zealously in this, as in other branches of Natural 
History, and has effected far more than any other naturalist towards 
making known to us the many singular forms of life that people the 
slopes of the Himalayas. Other more recent workers in the same 
field have been Burgess, Adams, Tytler, and McClelland, and last, but 
not least, Mr. Edward Blyth—for many years the energetic and 
devoted curator of the Asiatic Society’s Museum at Calcutta, whose 
numerous publications and extensive rescarches have, as rightly 
observed by Dr. Jerdon, done more to extend the study of Natural 
History in India than those of all the previously mentioned observers 
put together. 
We now come to the main portion of Dr. Jerdon’s work, which 
consists of short treatises on each of the species of birds belonging 
to the Indian Avi-fauna, interspersed with current allusions to the 
various groups found in other countries, but not represented in the 
Indian series. Dr. Jerdon’s two published volumes treat of the 
Birds of Prey and the numerous divisions of Insessores or Perchers. 
Of the first, he gives 81 species as belonging to the Fauna of India, 
of the Insessores, no less than 689 species are enumerated. Such 
being the case, it could not be expected that any very detailed account 
could be given of each bird, especially as what is contemplated is a 
“brief, but comprehensive Manual.” And on the whole, as regards 
the first volume especially, we cannot but think that we have every 
reason to be satisfied with the way in which our author has performed 
his work. The descriptions given are sufficient for the determination 
of the species in ordinary cases. In many allied forms, it will, of 
course, be necessary for the student to refer back to the previously 
published accounts indicated among the synonyms of each species, 
and in the more difficult cases, to go to the typical specimens in the 
Museum of Calcutta, or of the British metropolis. The details as 
regards the geographical distribution, habits, and general alliances of 
each species are likewise carefully worked out, and the whole account 
is written in plain and comprehensible terms, well suited for the pur- 
pose intended. As an illustration of Dr. Jerdon’s style, we extract 
his remarks on the Turwmti Falcon (Hypotriorchis chicquera)—one of 
the best known, and commonest small Falcons of India, allied to 
our Hobby. 
“The Turumti is universally spread throughout India from north to 
south, but is rare in the forest districts, as it affects chiefly open country 
xn 2 
a“ 
