ornithologist's text-book. 75 



We have never yet seen any ornithological draw- 

 ings that surpass those of Gould. They are per- 

 haps equalled by Swainson's, and by some of 

 Selby's. The original drawings in Swainson's 

 Ornithological Drawings, which we saw when we 

 had the pleasure of visiting that eminent Natural- 

 ist a few months ago, are really exquisite, and so 

 are all the Raptores of Selby (see our p. 42), but 

 we think these are equalled by the splendid figures 

 of Gould, which are certainly far superior to the 

 highly lauded plates of Audubon. Gould's figure 

 of the Wryneckt Emet-hunter (Yunx torquilla) 

 is beyond all conception beautiful and correct. 

 The female is in the act of making its egress from 

 the hollow tree where its nest is concealed, and the 

 male is perched beside her. In all the plates each 

 feather is distinctly marked, as in Nature, and yet 

 the whole is so smooth, and has such a life and 

 character, that one is almost tempted to lay one's 

 hands on the prize, lest it should escape. Nothing 

 can more clearly demonstrate the progress that 

 Ornithology has made of late years, than the im- 

 mense improvement in the figures of birds ; for, 

 although it partly belongs to art, yet no one is 

 competent to draw a bird who has not closely 

 studied the habits of each in the field of Nature. 

 It does not, of course, follow that every one who 

 has studied the habits of birds, will be able to 

 draw birds well ; for, added to this, the organs of 

 form, colour, size, and imitation, must be well de- 

 veloped, in order to make him a good draughts- 

 man.— The letterpress, which combines scientific 

 and popular detail, is also very good, and occupies 

 the page opposite to each plate. The following 

 extract from his prospectus may perhaps be ac- 

 ceptable to our readers, though — if we remember 

 rightly — it has already appeared in the Magazine 

 of Natural History :— 



