ornithologist's text-book. 13 



are written, or rather compiled, by Mr. Stephens, 

 as Dr. Shaw died shortly after the completion of 

 the eighth volume. The work was scarcely wanted, 

 as, besides being very expensive {£3. 12s. a vol.), 

 the descriptions are almost entirely taken from the 

 Synopsis of his more judicious countryman, Dr. 

 Latham. One or more species of each genus is 

 figured (by Mrs. Griffith), but these also, we are 

 sorry to say, are almost without exception copied 

 from other works, with but little care in the selec- 

 tion. The last volume appeared in 1826, with 

 a synopsis of the Quinary System, as drawn up 

 by Vigors, and concludes with a " general index." 

 The genera are neither judiciously arranged or ac- 

 curately defined in this voluminous compilation, 

 which, although almost indispensable to the Orni- 

 thologist, is so only because no better work exists. 

 If some of the first Ornithologists of the present 

 day would unite to produce a good work on gene- 

 ral Ornithology, success might doubtless reasonably 

 be expected. All departments, the science pro- 

 perly so called, and the popular descriptions of 

 habits and manners, should be equally attended 

 to, and a coloured figure of each species, with its 

 nest and eggs, should be given, as far as practica- 

 ble, drawn and coloured from Nature, or carefully 

 selected from the most accurate authors, such as 

 Edwards, Gould, Selby, Audubon, &c. — See the 

 Supplement. 



Synopsis of British Birds, by John Walcot, Esq. 

 London. 4to. 1789. 



This work is scarcely deserving of notice, both 

 figures and descriptions being very indifferent. 

 Mr. Graves has also published an illustrative work 

 on British Ornithology, but we have neither seen 



B 



