ORNITHOLOGIST'S TEXT-BOOK. 



We commence our notices of ornithological 

 works with the Ornithology of Francis Willughby; 

 as he was the first Naturalist who treated the study 

 of birds as a science, and the first who made any 

 thing like a rational classification. His work (folio) 

 was translated, edited, and published by his friend 

 Ray, in 1678. Now although the classification 

 of Willughby can by no means be considered 

 complete, yet it was unquestionably the best that 

 had hitherto been promulgated, and has indeed 

 very great merit, especially when we consider that 

 it was framed about a century and a half ago, with 

 no other assistance than the meagre compilations 

 of preceding authors. The system of Willughby 

 is also without doubt the basis on which the orni- 

 thological classification of Linnaeus was founded, 

 and it is a curious fact that many of Willughby' s 

 genera, which were altered by the great SAvede, are 

 now-again introduced exactly as restricted by the 

 former author. The descriptions of the habits of 

 birds in this work are full and generally exact; but 

 are occasionally besprinkled with absurdities which 

 should have been beneath his notice. The diseases 

 of birds and their cures, and the methods of cap- 

 turing and keeping the different species are also 

 fully detailed, and a " Summary of Falconry" con- 

 eludes the descriptive part of the volume. After 

 this is given a figure (uncoloured) of each bird 

 described, but these are wholly destitute of merit. 

 The young Ornithologist will do well to study this 

 work with attention, but he must sift the true from 

 the false matter. 



