THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 165 



not jjroceeded far when she spies a frog by the edge 

 of a small pool, and instantly descending, thrusts 

 her sharp talons through its sides. It is soon 

 devoured, and in the mean time the male comes up. 

 Again they fly off together, and were you to watch 

 their progress, you would see them traverse a large 

 space of ground, wheeling, gliding, and flapping, in 

 the same manner, until at length, having obtained a 

 supply of savoury food for their young, they would 

 fly off with it." 



The style of the author has not the strength and 

 beauty of Mc die's, nor the neatness and conciseness 

 of Selby's, nor the full flow of Audubon's, and we 

 think that the author's talents are more in the pencil 

 than the pen. In this opinion we are confirmed by 

 the beautiful wood-cuts which adorn this volume : 

 the representations of the head of the Golden Eagle 

 and of the Tawny Toadeater are especially beautiful. 

 Audubon, who is no mean judge, having himself 

 the organs of form and color very large, affirms that 

 M.icgillivray is the best delineator of birds with 

 whom he is acquainted, and this makes us the more 

 anxious to see the fruits of his labors, which have 

 now we believe, extended to considerable extent. 

 A very considerable portion of the present work is 

 taken up with accounts of the feathers, which we 

 cannot but think would have been better omitted, 

 except perhaps in a few instances. 



