278 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



It has been a considerable time in progress, but it is only fair to 

 observe that considerable emendations and additions have been 

 made to the original octavo volume of less than 400 pages which 

 appeared in 1867. 



Since Mr. Layard's book was written, much additional infor- 

 mation has been collected by naturalists and travellers in South 

 Africa respecting the birds of that vast region, which has 

 resulted not only in the identification of numerous species not 

 included in Mr. Layard's original list, but also in the rectification 

 of the synonymy of species described by him, but then imper- 

 fectly known. 



The part before us, with two coloured plates, includes the 

 Flycatchers, Swallows, Shrikes, Starlings, Weaver Birds, Finches 

 and Larks. 



The scientific name of each species is printed in small 

 capitals, preceded by a reference number, and followed by the 

 English name of the bird ; but why does the Editor give the 

 name of the author or original dcscriber of the species in some 

 cases and omit it in others? In none of the Swallows, for 

 example, do we find any authority given for the specific names 

 employed. This is surely an oversight, and we think Mr. Sharps 

 should have gone a little further, and have given not only the 

 authority for the name which he considers entitled to priority, 

 but also a brief reference to the work in which the description 

 under that name is to be found. 



We notice here and there some variation in the orthography 

 of the generic names, as compared with the first edition, which, 

 at least in cases where it is not justifiable (as in Campophaga 

 for Campcphaga), must be attributed, we presume, to a slip of 

 the pen or a typographical error. 



It would, in our opinion, have added much to the value of the 

 work had Mr. Sharpe given brief diagnoses of the generic cha- 

 racters at the head of each fresh genus. The Shrikes, for example, 

 are grouped in no less than eleven different genera, Lanius, 

 Enneoctonus, Urolestes, Laniarius, Nilaus, Gcum/pephaga, Grau- 

 adus, Ewrocephalus, Brady omis, Prionops, and Sigmodus, embrac- 

 ing as many as thirty-four species, and yet the collector of any 

 one of these species is not furnished with any key to aid him in 

 discovering to which particular genus his bird belongs. This 

 omission, we think, is to be regretted, especially as the paragraphs 



