90 THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 



have selected a better work on which to bestow his 

 commendations. The author is a field naturalist; 

 he observes facts, notes them down, and there leaves 

 them, making no attempt at philosophic induction ; 

 but still the work will excite a spirit of inquiry, 

 and prompt the thoughtless to think, by giving an 

 interest to what would to the heedless appear dull 

 and uninteresting. The first edition appeared in 

 1788, and since that, the work has appeared in an 

 endless variety of forms, according to the fancies of 

 their respective editors. In 1813 a quarto edition 

 was published, juice £2. 12s. 6d. in boards. This 

 is a very bulky book, with meadows of margins : 

 another edition appeared in 1825, in 2 vols., in 1832 

 one edited by Sir William Jardine, price 6s., 

 another by Brown, price 3s. 6d. The Antiquities, 

 which form not the least interesting part of the 

 work, are omitted in these editions, and thus they 

 are incomplete. The edition, the title of which is 

 placed above, is the most complete, and the most 

 beautifully got up of those with which I am 

 acquainted. It contains numerous and copious 

 notes, among which those of Herbert and 

 Sweet are conspicuous for interest and novelty. 

 White was born July 18th, 1720, and died June 

 26th, 1793. We understand that Mr. Blyth is 

 preparing notes for a new edition. We think it 

 would be far preferable to throw the notes into a 

 supplement instead of breaking the current of the 

 text by marginal notes. 



