Auduhoti's Ornithology, First Volume. 351 



The first of the works to which we propose to ask the atten- 

 tion of our readers, is, as its name implies, simply a synopsis of 

 the birds of North America. It is comprised in a single duode- 

 cimo vokime of about three hundred and fifty pages. The num- 

 ber of birds enumerated is 491. And some idea may be form- 

 ed of the discoveries which have been made in this department 

 of science within the few past years, from the fact that among 

 them are no less than 142 birds not included in the synopsis of 

 Bonaparte, and about one half of the whole number are not men- 

 tioned in the work of Wilson. Quite a number of these are 

 new species, from the Rocky Mountains, the discovery of Mr. 

 Townsend. 



Mr. Audubon has adopted, very nearly, the quinary system in 

 his arrangement, a system that finds no favor in our eyes, but 

 which we will refer to more at length when we speak of the 

 Ornithology itself To each family is appended the characteris- 

 tics, as well as to each genus, and to every species of bird, be- 

 sides a reference to his own works and plates ; wherever they 

 have been described by any other American naturalist, the au- 

 thor, volume and page are given. Besides this he has added in 

 each instance a brief but accurate, and for every essential purpose, 

 complete scientific description of the specific marks, as well as 

 the habitat of every species. 



Just such a work as this synopsis has long been a great desid- 

 eratum among our ornithologists ; indeed it has been next to im- 

 possible to do without one. We are therefore somewhat surprised 

 that, although it is now more than a year since the present work 

 first appeared, it has never been republished in this country. 



Such a work as the Synopsis can never of course be a popular 

 one, or of any interest to one not an ornithologist. Confined as 

 it is to the technicalities of science, and affording, as it must to 

 the beginner, nothing to interest him, it is still as absolutely in- 

 dispensable as the dictionary is to the student of a language. 

 And although we should as soon think of placing the latter alone 

 in the hands of the student, as the means of learning any un- 

 known tongue, as we should of relying solely upon a synopsis for 

 the study of ornithology — the one is as absolutely necessary as the 

 other. As ornithologists are multiplying among us, in an almost 

 geometrical ratio, the want of such a work as a cheap reprint of 

 Mr. Audubon's, is very much felt. It is the only key that yet ex- 



