178 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. TV. 



but Mr. Coward had several parts in his possession, and these 

 were handed to us for examination, and provide the basis 

 of the following account, the other copies known being used 

 in conjunction. 



The wrapper has at the top No. 1 Price 3s., and at the foot 

 April 1845. The centre carries the following " Illustrations / 

 of the / Genera of Birds, / embracing their / Generic Characters ; 

 / with / Sketches of their Habits. / By / Captain Thomas 

 Brown, / M.W.S., M.P.S., M.M.G.S., / Formerly President of 

 the Royal Physical Society, and Present Curator of the 

 Manchester Natural History Society's / Museum, Author of 

 Illustrations of the Fossil Conchology and of Illustrations 

 of the Recent / Conchology of Great Britain and Ireland, 

 &c., &c., &G. / London: / Smith, Elder & Co., 65, Cornhill. / 

 Edinburgh : / Maclachlan & Stewart, 64, South Bridge. / 

 Peter Brown, Printer, Edinburgh. . ." 



Some wrappers differ in no respect save that the name of 

 the publisher reads " Manchester : / James Ainsworth, 93, 

 Piccadilly. . ." 



On the back of the cover of the first part is " Prospectus. 

 The only European Work on the Genera of Birds is Vieillot's 

 Galerie des Oiseaux, published at Paris in 1825, with in- 

 differently executed Lithographic Illustrations, at the price 

 of £16 10s. Since the ajjpearance of that Work, the number 

 of Genera have been considerably augmented, owing to the 

 great influx of species and the advanced state of the science. 

 The Work now proposed will be illustrated by Engravings 

 on Steel. . . The general arrangement of the Genera of 

 Birds will be that of Baron Cuvier, as modified by Mr. George 

 Robert Gray and adopted in the British Museum. . . . 

 As the Author has been upwards of five years engaged in 

 preparing materials for the present Work, and many of the 

 Plates being already engraved, he can pledge himself as to the 

 regular appearance of a Monthly Number. The size of the 

 work is Imperial Quarto, and will extend to about 50 Numbers, 

 each containing Four highly-finished Coloured Plates, engraved 

 on Steel in the Line manner, accompanied by Letter-press 

 Descriptions of their Generic Characters, and Sketches of the 



