58 ornithologist's text-book. 



This is, we understand, considered a good ele- 

 mentary book at Paris, but we have many better in 

 our own language. 



Journal of a Naturalist, by Knapp. Second 

 edition. London. 1829. 12mo. 



This is indeed a fresh and delightful volume, and 

 has long since become deservedly popular amongst 

 the lovers of Nature. The notices of habits of 

 birds are truly delightful, and fully equal to those 

 of White of Selborne. We shall extract Knapp's 

 account of the Hedge Coalhood fPyrrhula vulga- 

 ris), for, whilst it will give our readers an idea of 

 the plan and spirit of his Journal, we shall at the 

 same time be enabled to criticise some of the opi- 

 nions therein expressed : — 



"The bullfinch (loxia pyrrhulaj has no claims 

 to our regard. It is gifted with no voice to charm 

 us ; it communicates no harmony to the grove : all 

 we hear from it is a low and plaintive call to its 

 fellows in the hedge. It has no familiarity or as- 

 sociation with us, but lives in retirement in some 

 lonely thicket ten months in the year. At length, 

 as spring approaches, it will visit our gardens, an 

 insidious plunderer. Its delight is in the embryo 

 blossoms wrapped up at this season in the bud of 

 a tree ; and it is very dainty and curious in the 

 choice of this food, seldom feeding upon two kinds 

 at the same time. It generally commences with 

 the germs of our larger and most early gooseberry ; 

 and the bright red breasts of four or five cock 

 birds, quietly feeding on the leafless bush, are a 

 very pretty sight, but the consequences are ruinous 

 to the crop. When the cherry buds begin to come 

 forward, they quit the gooseberry, and make tre- 

 mendous havoc with these. I have an early wall 



