THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 107 



British Ornithology; By P. J. Selby, Esq. 2 vols. 8vo. 2nd 

 edition, 1833, £1 Is. Also Illustrations of British Ornithology ; 

 2 vols, elephant folio, colored plates. 



This is a most excellent manual of the Ornithology 

 of Britain, the descriptions being exact, and accu- 

 rate, and the style neat, and perspicuous. The 

 circular system of Macleay, as followed out by 

 Vigors and Swainson, is adopted throughout — 

 perhaps a better could not have been chosen. First 

 comes the name of the Order, under which is given 

 the characters of the same ; then the Family, then 

 the Section, and then the Genus, after which the 

 various species in this genus are named and describ- 

 ed. The Author's descriptions of the plumage is 

 excellent — no small proportion of which excellence 

 is due to his having adopted a fixed nomenclature 

 of colors — that of Werner as improved by Syme. 

 The synonyms attached to each species is of no 

 small use to the student, and it is to be regretted 

 that in some instances it is not more copious, and 

 also more exact. The first edition of the first 

 volume was published in 1825, and in this edition 

 the system of Temmink, with a few modifications 

 is that adopted : Ave. think the Author has acted very 

 judiciously in abandoning this arrangement, and 

 adopting the natural system in its stead. That of 

 Temmink is very well for those who have only time 

 sufficient to dip into Ornithology, but for those who 

 wish to investigate the various affinities and analo- 

 gies so apparent throughout nature, the natural 



