108 THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 



system will be best. This is a work which we should 

 recommend to every Ornithological student, eluci- 

 dating as it does many difficult points and correcting 

 the innumerable mistakes of the older Ornithologists. 

 The vernacular names adopted in the first volume 

 are many of them very bad, (see these commented 

 on in vol. II. p. 305 of the Analyst ;) the second 

 volume may, however, be looked on almost as a 

 model on this point. The plates came out in parts, 

 each part containing twelve plates, price .£5. 5s. 

 each. This part of the work is very unequal in 

 merit, and thus cannot be spoken of as a whole. 

 The Author has, we think, been most successful in 

 the larger birds, and it would be almost impossible, 

 we think, to improve on many of the Raptor es, 

 which for fidelity, boldness, and spirit are unequal- 

 led. The Golden Eagle (Aquila aurea,) is an 

 admirable figure : this noble bird is represented 

 exulting over her prey, with wings shivering, talons 

 clutching, and neck bristling ; — we may subjoin a 

 short extract from Mudie in point: — "The rich 

 browns with their peculiar metallic lustre, and the 

 pointed feathers on the neck, shaded off till they 

 arrive at the rich orange at the points, and stand up 

 when the bird is excited, as if they were so many 

 scales margined with gold, are not to be obtained 

 unless where the bird has the free and unrestrained 

 range of all its powers, — can climb the pure air till 

 it touch on the region of perpetual frost, and there 

 dash along over a wide extent of country. Their 



