232 BihliograpJiical Notice, 



scientific public — possibly through excessive modesty, possibly 

 through entertaining a higher opinion of the perception of that 

 scientific public for recognizing the bad and the ridiculous. Now it 

 appears from the memoir given of the author of the work before us 

 that he laboured continuously for the ten years from 1853 to 1863 

 before he trusted himself to write out a short account of each of the 

 species which he had to include in his intended book. These short 

 accounts formed the basis of the several articles, but were greatly 

 expanded and in most cases entirely rewritten before they were 

 given to the world. This process took him three years longer with 

 regard to those contained in his first volume, which was published 

 late in 1866, for we are told that so great was Mr. Stevenson's 

 desire for accuracy and completeness that in some cases even sheets 

 which had been printed off were cancelled in favour of others with 

 more correct or more recent information. The final preparation of 

 the second volume, containing matters of far greater interest than 

 the first, occupied nearly four years more, and then he began the 

 third and concluding one — but unfortunately ill health supervened, 

 and, after making desultory progress from time to time, actual work 

 upon it may be said to have been discontinued in 1877, when, to 

 the despair not only of Norfolk naturalists, but of all who had 

 become acquainted with the first two volumes, there seemed little or 

 no chance of its ever being completed, though it was known that a 

 considerable portion had been printed off" and that the author was 

 continually adding to his notes. Eleven years later he was removed 

 by death, after long and acute suffering ; and then, to the marvel- 

 lous credit of the county concerned, it proved to possess in Mr. 

 Southwell an ornithologist, already tried we may remark, certainly 

 not inferior essentially to Mr. Stevenson, and therefore fully capable 

 of completing the unfinished work — 



Primo avulso non deficit alter — 



and, moreover, of continuing it in almost exactly the same style, 

 the difference observable being slight. There was certainly much of 

 the newspaper-writer about Mr. Stevenson, which rendered him 

 somewhat careless of the extent of his articles, whereas Mr. South- 

 well, possibly constrained by considerations of space, has carefuUy 

 compressed all he has to say, though what he says is just as 

 happily expressed. He had of course his predecessor's notes, or 

 more than notes, to guide him ; but his own assiduity in filling up 

 the blank spaces between them and in collecting additional informa- 

 tion is evident, and consequently we have the whole work in a 

 fashion that should satisfy the most exacting critic. 



Among the many local ornithologies that have now appeared the 

 present decidedly holds, and most hkely wiU long hold, the first 

 place ; and the reason is doubtless due to the thorough acquaintance 

 of the original author and his successor with all that relates to their 

 subject. They not only knew the birds of which they treat and the 

 ground they haunt, but the men who have been most conversant 

 with them. Norfolk, like every other part of this island, has its 



