496 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
as many parts) of such birds as are found in the North-Eastern 
portions of the United States most attractive for their plumage 
colorations ; and the plates will contain figures of the female as 
well as the male of the species under advisement.” 
The part just issued is devoted to an account of the Purple 
Finch, Carpodacus purpureus, of which a life-sized plate is given. 
Much care and evident expense has been bestowed in the 
preparation of this work, and the type and paper are all that can 
be desired. We regret that we cannot say as much for the text 
and its accompanying illustration. In the former we do not 
find so complete and satisfactory an account of the bird selected 
as one would naturally look for and expect in a work which is 
announced to deal with so very limited a number of species. 
There are no new facts in its natural history disclosed, nor have 
the materials collected on the subject of the memoir by well-known 
writers on American Ornithology been utilised as they might have 
been with advantage. 
We are even more disappointed with the plate, the hard, 
unbroken outlines and crude colouring reminding us of the 
fish-like figures of birds with which natural-history books were 
wont to be illustrated fifty years ago. ‘This is not as it should be 
in these days when so much improvement has been made in 
lithography and colouring. 
Mr. Rathbun is apparently a great enthusiast, and we do not 
doubt the labour which he has bestowed in the preparation of his 
work; but in undertaking to illustrate it himself, he has shown 
that he is less skilful as an artist than as a writer. 
We commend to his notice such works as Wolf’s ‘ Zoological 
Sketches,’ Buller’s ‘Birds of New Zealand,’ Sharpe’s ‘ Kingfishers,’ 
Marshall’s ‘ Barbets,’ Shelley's ‘ Sun-birds,’ Sclater’s ‘ Jacamars 
and Puff-birds,’ Legge’s ‘Birds of Ceylon,’ Dawson Rowley’s 
‘Ornithological Miscellany,’ Salvin and Godman’s splendid work 
on the Fauna of Central America, and Gould’s magnificent folios ; 
a glance at any or all of which will show him how birds can and 
may be drawn, and will conyince him that critics now-a-days 
have good reasons to be fastidious on the subject of zoological 
illustrations. 
