194 Bibliographical Notices. 



others, prior to the pubhcatiou of the Committee's Report. I saw 

 in it no inducement to change them, and I have not found that the 

 most competent judges have adopted the changes of nomenclature 

 therein recommended. For instance, I am blamed for using the 

 word CoraciadcB instead of Coraciidce ; yet I perceive that the Pre- 

 sident of the Linusean Society, in the title of a very valuable memoir 

 in the last published part of the "Transactions" of that learned 

 body, does not hesitate to employ the similar term Leucosiadce in 

 preference to Leucosiidce, as directed in the Committee's Report. 



The reviewer's suggestion of " a Catalogue of the unabbreviated 

 names of the authors of the different genera, and of the chief works 

 in which they have published them," is one that has not escaped my 

 attention. I have in my possession an extensive list of authors, 

 accompanied with references to their works ; but it is not my inten- 

 tion to publish it at present, although I may find occasion to do so 

 hereafter. 



In relation to the names of genera proposed by Dr. Schiff (to 

 which the reviewer might have added the names of Dr. Reichenbach 

 and others), I held it to be my duty to give all the generic and sub- 

 generic names that came within my knowledge, whether accompanied 

 by the statement of the typical species or not. I have fortunately 

 been enabled in most cases (with the exception of the names of 

 Rafinesque) to supply this deficiency ; and I hope that I may thus 

 have been the means of preventing, to a certain extent, the multipli- 

 cation of names for the same divisions, although I do not attempt, 

 as it would be useless, to set limits to the subdivision of genera. 

 The addition of the name of the publisher, as well as of the author, 

 would have involved the total reconstruction of my book on a different 

 plan. 



This article is longer than I had intended, but I must be permitted 

 to end it with the words of a well-known ornithologist : — " We have 

 chosen our path : — not having fallen into it by blind chance or way- 

 ward prejudice ; but having selected it from all that lay before us, 

 with free and deliberate preference. And in full confidence, as far 

 at least as human reason and foresight can inspire us with confidence, 

 of having chosen the right way, we shall steadily pursue it." 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



A Popular History of Palms and their Allies. By Berthold 

 Seemann, Ph.D. &c. London : Reeve. 1856. 



In introducing his subject to the reader Dr. Seemann states, that 

 his attention was first directed to the family of Palms through in- 

 qvdries set on foot in his school days, in connexion with the conversion 

 of his pedagogue's cane into succedanea for cigars. We cannot lay 

 claim to the possession of so inquiring a spirit in our youth, or at all 

 events it did not take that direction. The associations connected 

 with the name of palm-trees in our minds, and we fancy in those of 

 most persons, are of a more elevated and less practical nature. To 



