400 Mr Eyton's British Birds. 



A History of the rare Species of British Birds, intended as a 

 Supplement to the History of British Birds by the late Thomas 

 Bewick. By T. C. Eyton, Esq. London, 1836. 8vo. Pp. 101. 

 With catalogue arranged, pp. 67. Wood-cuts. 

 An extract from the prospectus will be the most correct manner 

 of conveying information regarding the intentions of this desirable 

 addition to the work of our most popular ornithologist. " Since 

 the time of the publication of the last edition of the History of Bri- 

 tish Birds, by the late Thomas Bewick, many birds have been dis- 

 covered to be inhabitants, or visitants, of the British Isles ; and are 

 consequently not figured in his work. To supply this deficiency is 

 the only aim of the author ; and, to the accomplishment of which, 

 he trusts he shall be deemed competent, as he possesses nearly a 

 perfect collection of British birds, and has the assistance of some 

 eminent naturalists in his undertaking." 



A supplement to the works of Bewick, exhibiting the additions 

 which from time to time have been made to the list of British birds, 

 has been a desideratum which we find well supplied in the little 

 work before us. The wood-cuts are executed in the best manner 

 of the modern wood engraving, but it would be difficult indeed to 

 come up to the feeling of Bewick, his own draftsman and artist. 

 The letter-press is short, but perhaps sufficient for every purpose, 

 gives the authorities [for all the species introduced, and generally 

 the collections in which the specimens are now to be found, and 

 concludes with a catalogue arranged under three heads : 1. What 

 the author considers entitled to the rank of " British birds ;" 2. 

 " Extinct species ;" 3. " The principal among the introduced spe- 

 cies." Of the nomenclature, arrangement, and changes which are 

 proposed, we fear, that, like the ornithologists he complains of, the 

 author has also added and changed unnecessarily. 



The following remarks occur in looking over the numbers. Re- 

 gulns Ignicapillus has, we believe, been lately taken in the vicinity 

 of Durham. Linaria canescens we have always considered to be the 

 F. borealis, Roux; mentioned with doubt in Temm. Manuel, and 

 again under the above name in the 3me part, p. 264 ; figured in 

 Vieillot's Gallerie ; and we believe it will prove identical with the 

 bird represented by Mr Selby as a variety of the lesser redpole, and 

 mentioned L. P. i. p. 320 — See our " Intelligence" of No. I. for a 

 notice of Macroramphus griseus, again killed in Britain. Sterna 

 arctica is perhaps the most common species in Scotland ; it abounds 

 durino- the breeding season upon all the rocky islands in the Firth 

 of Forth, from Queensferry to the Fern Islands. The most import- 



