﻿Bibliographical 
  Notice. 
  365 
  

  

  BIB 
  LIOGB 
  A 
  PHICA 
  L 
  NOT 
  ICE. 
  

  

  Manual 
  of 
  British 
  Birds. 
  By 
  Howard 
  Saunders. 
  Parts 
  I.-XII. 
  

   London 
  : 
  Gurney 
  and 
  Jackson. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  fourth 
  edition 
  of 
  Yarrell's 
  'History 
  of 
  British 
  Birds' 
  

   was 
  brought 
  to 
  a 
  conclusion 
  four 
  years 
  ago, 
  the 
  chief 
  drawback, 
  

   in 
  the 
  eyes 
  of 
  niauy. 
  was 
  i!s 
  costliness, 
  due 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  measure 
  

   to 
  the 
  illustrations. 
  It 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  with 
  the 
  successors 
  of 
  

   Mr. 
  Van 
  Voorst, 
  the 
  proprietors 
  of 
  the 
  blocks, 
  must 
  rest 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   duction 
  of 
  a 
  cheaper 
  hook, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  matter 
  should 
  

   be 
  incorporated 
  in 
  a 
  smaller 
  compass 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  

   a 
  plan 
  could 
  be 
  evolved 
  at 
  once 
  satisfactory 
  and 
  remunerative. 
  

   However, 
  by 
  strictly 
  limiting 
  the 
  articles 
  on 
  each 
  species 
  to 
  two 
  

   pages, 
  inclusive 
  of 
  the 
  woodcut, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  a 
  volume 
  of 
  some 
  

   800 
  pp. 
  might 
  be 
  furnished 
  at 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  about 
  £1 
  ; 
  and, 
  though 
  

   this 
  method 
  was 
  sure 
  to 
  carry 
  objections 
  on 
  the 
  score 
  of 
  brevity 
  to 
  

   the 
  minds 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  class 
  of 
  critics, 
  we 
  cannot 
  but 
  think 
  that 
  all 
  

   is 
  included 
  which 
  is 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  readers 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  work 
  

   appeals, 
  while 
  the 
  result 
  has 
  proved 
  equally 
  creditable 
  to 
  the 
  energy 
  

   of 
  the 
  author 
  and 
  the 
  enterprise 
  of 
  the 
  publishers. 
  Excellent 
  alike 
  

   in 
  style 
  and 
  matter, 
  it 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  every 
  lover 
  of 
  

   birds, 
  and 
  should 
  take 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  several 
  inferior 
  books 
  on 
  the 
  

   subject 
  now 
  before 
  the 
  public. 
  Since 
  last 
  April 
  twelve 
  parts 
  have 
  

   been 
  issued, 
  the 
  monthly 
  appearance 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  charac- 
  

   terized 
  by 
  the 
  utmost 
  regularity. 
  

  

  Mo 
  better 
  model 
  on 
  Avhich 
  to 
  base 
  the 
  work 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  

   adopted 
  than 
  that 
  offered 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Newton's 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  fourth 
  

   edition 
  of" 
  Yarrell 
  ; 
  '" 
  but, 
  on 
  comparison, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  obvious 
  that 
  

   the 
  subject 
  of 
  our 
  present 
  notice 
  has 
  been 
  completely 
  rewritten, 
  

   while 
  the 
  arrangement 
  also 
  differs 
  somewhat, 
  the 
  system 
  followed 
  

   being 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Ornithologists' 
  Union 
  List, 
  

   which 
  has 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  sanction 
  of 
  authority. 
  

  

  Migration 
  reports 
  are 
  responsible 
  for 
  much 
  fresh 
  information, 
  and 
  

   the 
  author 
  has 
  evidently 
  availed 
  himself 
  of 
  the 
  writings 
  of 
  Bogda- 
  

   now, 
  Buchner, 
  Giglioli, 
  Grondal, 
  Fischer 
  and 
  v. 
  Pelzeln, 
  Menzbier, 
  

   Prjevalski, 
  and 
  Vinge. 
  Aided 
  by 
  these 
  and 
  others, 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  

   perhaps 
  half 
  our 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  extended 
  and, 
  in 
  some 
  

   cases, 
  corrected 
  ; 
  that 
  of 
  near 
  allies 
  has 
  been 
  elucidated 
  or 
  more 
  

   accurately 
  defined, 
  and 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  contact 
  sketched 
  out. 
  The 
  

   species 
  figured 
  as 
  nrw 
  are 
  the 
  Isabelline, 
  Black-throated, 
  and 
  Desert 
  

   Wheatears, 
  the 
  Barred 
  Warbler, 
  the 
  Wall-Creeper, 
  the 
  Needle-tailed 
  

   Swift, 
  and 
  the 
  Lesser 
  Kestrel 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  Marsh 
  Warbler, 
  the 
  Bed- 
  

   throated 
  Pipit, 
  the 
  Bed-necked 
  and 
  Egyptian 
  Nightjars, 
  the 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  Green-winged 
  and 
  Blue-winged 
  Teals 
  are 
  inserted 
  without 
  cuts 
  ; 
  

   but 
  the 
  St.-Kilda 
  Wren 
  is 
  only 
  mentioned 
  to 
  be 
  dismissed. 
  The 
  

   Marsh-Harrier. 
  < 
  roshawk, 
  and 
  Merlin 
  arc 
  also 
  figured 
  afresh. 
  Among 
  

   our 
  rarer 
  visitors 
  we 
  notice 
  further 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  Yellow-browed, 
  

   Ltufous, 
  Icterine, 
  and 
  Ureal 
  Reed-Warblers, 
  the 
  Water-Pipit, 
  the 
  

  

  