98 THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 



humble Servant, The Author." We scruple not 

 to affirm the work to be destitute of any one claim 

 on the patronage of those to whom it is addressed, 

 for, unlike that of Lewin, it is not even well got 

 up, and if many of the figures in the Birds of 

 Britain are caricatures, in the Harmonia nivalis 

 they are mere daubs. We hope no more of such 

 works as this will be sent forth : the world has been 

 burdened Avith enough of them. 



Ornithological Dictionary ; or a Synopsis of British Birds : 2 vols. 

 8vo. 1802 ; also Supplement to the same, 1813 ; By George Mon- 

 tagu, Esq. F.L.S. and M.W.S. Also 2nd edition, edited by James 

 Rennie, 8vo. 1832. 



This is a valuable contribution to the Ornithological 

 information of the present age. The author was a 

 genuine observer of nature, and never allowed him- 

 self, like Leclerc, to be led away from truth by any 

 vagaries of his own. Montagu has added largely to 

 our stock of facts, and several of his descriptions are 

 surpassed in interest by those of no other Natural- 

 ist. He has also rectified many of the mistakes, as 

 to species, of preceding Ornithologists, and discovered 

 several new to the British fauna. It is thus evident 

 that the British Ornithologist is largely indebted to 

 this acute and indefatigable author : his work was 

 accordingly, after his decease, in much demand, and 

 at the time when Rennie took it in hand, it was 

 not to be met with. The new edition has several 



