466 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



altogether unnecessary, might at all events have given place to 

 some which in our humble opinion are of more importance. 



In saying this we make all due allowance for the difficulty 

 of the undertaking. The literature of the subject is so vast, and 

 the sources of information from which key-words may be 

 collected so many and various, that we do not think it would be 

 possible for any author, even with the valuable assistance of such 

 coadjutors as Professor Newton has secured, to embody in a first 

 edition all that goes to make such a work perfect. Indeed, we 

 do not hesitate to say that when the concluding portion of the 

 Dictionary has appeared, the author will be amongst the first to 

 note the improvements which might have been made had the 

 whole been before him in type before sending any portion to 

 press. Herein, perhaps, lies the chief difficulty in attaining 

 perfection ; for we have to bear in mind that it is practically the 

 first attempt of the kind that has been made in this or any other 

 country. Having said thus much, we trust that we shall not be 

 deemed hypercritical if we venture to point out a few of the 

 shortcomings which have presented themselves to our notice on 

 looking over the first two parts of the work as issued, and offer 

 a few suggestions which may be useful in the preparation of a 

 second edition which we make no doubt will be called for at no 

 distant date. 



To deal first with omissions. We should certainly have 

 expected to find such names as the following : — " Attagen " 

 (Zool. 1884, p. 31); " Beccafico " (Willughby, pp. 216, 227; 

 Jesse, iii. p. 78) ; " Berkut " (upon which a long article has 

 been written touching its identity (* The Field,' December 27th, 

 1890) ; " Coistrel " (Shakespeare, see Kestrel), " Cur " or 

 "Curre," a provincial name for different kinds of diving ducks* 

 (Burton. Anat. i. 96, and Hawker's 'Instructions,' p. 414); 

 " Civetta," the Italian Little Owl, imported by Waterton and 

 liberated in Yorkshire (' Essays,' ii. p. 15 ; Savi, ' Ornitologia 

 Toscana,' i. p. 76) ; " Clod-bird," or Clot-bird (Muffet, ' Health's 

 Improvement,' p. 109, and Latham's * Falconry,' Bk. ii. p. 144). 

 "Cob and Pen" : some information on the origin of these names 



* It is to be observed that the editor of the recently published ' Diary 

 of Col. Hawker ' restricts this name to the Scaup, vol. ii. pp. 361, 364 — 66, 

 369—70, 1372, &c. But see this author's 'Instructions to Young Sportsmen,' 

 p. 414, ed. 1859. 



