440 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



that the writer's acquaintance with the literature of the subject 

 must be very slight, if he believes that modern ornithologists are 

 agreed to group the 12,000 species of birds which have been 

 described and named, in so few as five Orders. For such a one 

 surely the views of Huxley, Garrod, Newton, Sundevall, and 

 Sclater have been propounded in vain, and even the latest 

 edition of ' Yarrell ' (now made so accessible in price) can 

 scarcely have been consulted. 



With such an admirable series of preparations in the 

 Natural History Museum, expressly designed to show the 

 structure of a bird's wing, and in view of recently-published 

 papers in ' The Ibis ' and the ' Proceedings ' of the Zoological 

 Society, we should not have expected so many mistakes as 

 appear in the first two pages of this " Handbook." Nor are the 

 writer's views on classification either clear or orthodox. To 

 confuse "classes" with "families," and to unite in one Order 

 the Passeres and Picarice, in another the Columbce and Gallium, 

 is to show a complete disregard for the teaching of modern 

 systematists. 



On taking up this little book, we were disposed to regard it 

 favourably, as a healthy sign of the times, and likely to encourage 

 a taste for Ornithology, while imparting accurate, if elementary, 

 knowledge ; but when (in addition to the above-mentioned 

 failings) we read such items of intelligence as that "White's 

 Thrush is supposed by some to be a mere variety of the Song 

 Thrush "; that the eggs of the Goshawk are "generally a little 

 more ruddy in appearance " than those of the Common Buzzard ; 

 that "the Capercaillie is not an indigenous British bird, having 

 been introduced into this country by artificial means for purposes 

 of sport " ; that " the Bed-legged Partridge was formerly con- 

 sidered a very rare bird in this country, but has of late years 

 made its way over here from adjacent parts of the Continent, 

 and has on several occasions been known to breed here " ; and 

 that "the Virginian Colin, though an occasional visitor to this 

 country, has never been known to breed here";* we close the 

 book in despair for " the Young Collector." 



* It may seem, paradoxical, though it would be nearer the truth to assert 

 that " this bird, although not an occasional visitor, has often been known 

 to breed here"! Great numbers have been imported at various times from 

 America, and turned out with more or less success in many parts of England. 



