ornithologist's text-book. 57 



ic Of this valuable work the commencement alone 

 has yet appeared. It is without arrangement, but 

 a mode of printing is usually adopted which will 

 enable its possessor hereafter to distribute the ge- 

 nera according to his own views of their affinities. 

 At present it may be regarded as a collection of 

 Monographs, forty-six of which, including the ex- 

 tensive genera, Picus, Columba, Ardea, and Clia- 

 radrius [of Linnaeus], are given in the first part. 

 It is printed in small type, and in double columns, 

 and contains as much matter as would have formed 

 a respectable quarto, if the usual mode of display- 

 ing synonyms had been had recourse to. One 

 objectionable practice may be pointed out in the 

 frequent changes of generic appellations which oc- 

 cur throughout the book. It is surely better, on all 

 occasions, to employ a name which has been uni- 

 versally received, although it may chance to be 

 inapplicable to some species of a genus, than to 

 create confusion by discarding it, and by inventing 

 a new one. 



" In his Premium, Dr. Wagler gives a rapid 

 sketch of the present state of Ornithology, as con- 

 nected with collections and with the works to which 

 reference is most frequently made. The latter he 

 characterizes with freedom and judgment. He also 

 states that a continuation of his System will appear 

 almost immediately, and that he has ready for pub- 

 lication a Natural History of Birds, in which he 

 proposes to explain his views relative to their ar- 

 rangement and affinities." — Zool. Journ. 



This excellent work has since been continued, 

 but the above will serve as a review of the whole. 



Resume d'Ornithologie, par Mons. Drapiez. 

 Paris. 1829. 18mo. 



