The Zoologist— November, 1871. 2815 



literature almost totally unexplored, and he contrasts unfavorably 

 with Mr. Yarrell in this respect, and still more so with such recent 

 English authors as Mr. Gray, whose Catalogues show an immense 

 amount of research, and as Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser, who, 

 I may truly say, " leave no stone unturned." I have, however, to 

 bear my very ready testimony to the extent of Macgillivray's 

 knowledge derived from observation, a quality in which Yarrell 

 appears sadly deficient. Macgillivray studied living birds in their 

 own homes, Mr. Yarrell in his own hospitable home in Ryder 

 Street. But for all this Mr. Yarrell is at a premium, Professor 

 Macgillivray at a discount, at least with the present generation of 

 men : and the reason is patent. When I see Macgillivray's five 

 goodly volumes lying on my table, they remind me of an equal 

 number of volumes of German newspapers bound in the same way ; 

 there is no classification of subjects ; there is no general index ; and 

 the language is one that I cannot understand. Nevertheless, as 

 some familiar word or name arrests my attention, and I spell out 

 the context with the assistance of a dictionary, I find there is 

 much to be learned and much to be valued. I can scarcely read a 

 paragraph without feeling conscious that my knowledge is improved. 

 The Professor seems aware of this : he is aware that there is good 

 matter within, and is also aware that he has made it as difficult as 

 possible to get at — that he has concealed his knowledge from the 

 present generation of men. In concluding his fifth and last 

 volume he writes thus : " I can look upon my work without much 

 regard to the opinions which contemporary writers may form of it, 

 assured what is useful in it will not be forgotten, and knowing 

 that already it has had a beneficial effect on many of the present, 

 and will more powerfully influence the next, generation of home 

 ornithologists." (Vol. v. p. 677). This is hardly what we "children 

 of the quill " desire : most of us certainly hope to witness the 

 reception of our lucubrations. Nothing could exhibit the Pro- 

 fessor's simplicity of mind in a clearer light than his supposing 

 the next generation will accept his fantastic English names. The 

 substitution of such names as "black thrush" for "blackbird," 

 "chestnut-backed thrush" for "fieldfare," " redsided thrush" for 

 "redwing," "blueheaded quaketail" for "yellow wagtail," "black- 

 headed bushchat" for "stonechat," " white-rumped stonechat" for 

 " wheatear," " whitebreasted warbler" for "lesser whitethroat," will 

 in all probability sound as strange to our children as to ourselves. 



