57*2 Birds of Europe. 



with letter-press descriptions. — The price of the work is L. 1, 5s. co- 

 loured ; 15s. uncoloured ; and the letter-press may be had separate- 

 ly for 5s. Full generic characters will be given at or near the close 

 of the work, and a short history of the various groups and their af- 

 finities, with what has been ascertained of the habits of the birds, 

 will be added." 



The above extracts will give an idea of the plan and objects of 

 Mr Gould's new work. The plates (lithographs) are beautifully 

 and spiritedly executed, and the descriptions are compact and accu- 

 rate. But having thus expressed our high opinion of the work, we 

 have to regret the want of condensation which we like to see, and 

 understand should be contained in a synopsis ; while the introduc- 

 tion of the characters of the new genera, even though they should 

 have to be repeated at the close of the volume, would have been of 

 great advantage to the student. We nevertheless recommend this 

 book as a synopsis beautifully illustrated. 



Among the more remarkable forms noticed are Calodera, Gould, 

 a genus very properly formed from the bird figured in Ornithologi- 

 cal Illustrations by Sir W. Jardine and Mr Selby under the title of 

 Plilonorhynchus nuchalis, remarkable for the beautiful ruff of sa- 

 tiny feathers which adorns the nape. Mr Gould has also been so 

 fortunate as to procure what he considers a second species, which he 

 has named C. maculata, adorned also with a somewhat similar nu- 

 chal ruff. Slruthidea is a curious form ; and Neomorpha, inha- 

 biting New Zealand, two species, is very remarkable ; the ge- 

 nus seems allied to Promerops, and has the corners of the mouth 

 supplied with large rounded yellow wattles. A second species of 

 Nestor is characterized under the title N. productus, and has the 

 bill extremely developed. A new genus is proposed, having for its 

 type Meliphaga lunulata, Hcematops, Gould ; but this, we believe, 

 has been previously named and characterized by Mr Swainson, un- 

 der the title Gymnophrys. Two species of Zosierops, from the in- 

 terior of New South Wales, are noticed in addition to the well- 

 known Z. dorsalis. 



Birds of Europe. By John Gould, F. L. S. London, Folio. 



Parts 20 and 21 of this fine work are nearly completed, and will 

 appear together. These numbers were expected to have contained 

 all the European birds, but it has been found that another (Part 

 22,) will still be necessary. In this some extremely rare birds will be 

 figured, such as Accentor montanellus, Caprimulgus rujicollis, Sylvia 

 sericea, and lucinioides, &c. ; specimens of which have been forward- 

 ed to Mr Gould by the Directors of the Imperial Cabinet of Vienna, 

 while the curators of the museums at Leyden and Berlin, are acting 



