Bibliographical Notices. 53 



trachea and muscles. Its affinity to Scansores is also, I think, 

 explained by the great facility with which it scrambles or 

 climbs over rocks and stumps*. 



I have considered Scansores as distinct from Insessores 

 throughout this paper ; and think that ornithologists will, 

 \mtil more is known of the anatomy of birds than at pre- 

 sent, find it convenient to class Birds in the following Orders, 

 which may be distinguished in general by their skeletons : — 

 Raptores, Volitores (containing the Fissirostral groups), 

 Scansores, Insessores, Rasores, Cursores, Gralla- 

 TORES and Natatores. Perhaps the Pigeons also with ad- 

 vantage may be divided from the other Rasores. 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



An Introduction to the modern Classification of Insects, founded on the 

 Natural Habits and Corresponding Organization of the different 

 Families. By J. O. Westwood, F.L.S., &c. 2 vols. 8vo, with 

 Figures. London : Longman and Co. 



No branch of natural science has made such extraordinary and 

 rapid strides Avithin the last few years in this country as the study 

 of insects. The contrast which it exhibits at the present day, com- 

 pared with its state thirty years ago, is most striking. Then, at the 

 period when we commenced our entomological career, the literature 

 of the science was most meagre and marrowless ; we had, it is true, 

 for our guides Stewart's ' Elements,' Marsham's ' Coleoptera,' Ha- 

 worth's ' Lepidoptera,' and the picture-books of Doudran, estimable 

 works enough in their way, but from which the inquirer who wished 

 to obtain more than aknowledge of the mere name of his species would 

 not derive a particle of philosophy. The minute investigations of 

 the anatomist, the principles of natural classification founded upon 

 the various relations of the different tribes and the variations in the 

 metamorphoses of all insects, save the Lepidoptera, were subjects 

 scarcely dreamt of ; and, in truth, the entomologist merited no other 

 name than that of a collector, his only aim being the getting toge- 

 ther of as great a number of species as possible, and storing them up 

 in his cabinets. 



The appearance of the first two volumes of the ' Introduction' of 

 Messrs. Kirby and Spence placed the science on a far different foot- 

 ing, showing the inquirer, in a most engaging manner, that it pos- 

 sessed far higher claims to his attention. In these delightful vo- 

 lumes the natural history and ceconomy of the insect tribes were 

 proved to be as interesting and worthy of observation as those of the 

 highest animals. The subsequent appearance of the third and fourth 

 volumes of the same work opened the wide field of insect anatomy 

 and the principles of entomological classification ; thus forming, 



* See Collins's .Account of New South Wales. 



