78 ornithologist's text-book. 



many cases, by the mass of herbage which sur- 

 rounds them. If some of the plates were hung up 

 as pictures, they would be taken for botanical in- 

 stead of ornithological paintings ; the figures of 

 flowers are certainly better done than those of the 

 birds, and thus the attention is apt to be drawn 

 exclusively to the former. This we consider a 

 great defect; for the flowers and trees, if intro- 

 duced at all, should rather be to set off the birds, 

 as in Jardine's Naturalists Library, where the 

 principal figures are coloured, and the surrounding 

 herbage, drawn in a light, sketchy style, is un- 

 coloured. The scenes in Audubon's plates some- 

 times exhibit a considerable degree of life and 

 activity, but we do not in general find that cha- 

 racter and freshness so peculiar in the Birds of 

 Europe. In our opinion, none of Audubon's plates 

 are so well executed as Selby's Strigidce and 

 Falconidce, and thus we think that the public has 

 been greatly deceived as to the apparently magni- 

 ficent plates of Audubon. Fifty parts are come 

 out, and two volumes completed. The whole, 

 when finished, will cost £160. The list of sub- 

 scribers to the Birds of America is very large. 



The Ornithological Biography, which is the ac- 

 companying letterpress to the Birds of America, 

 next claims our attention. Although we are by no 

 means inclined to follow the common herd in laud- 

 ing Audubon's plates through thick and thin, we 

 think it our duty to confer unqualified praise on 

 the accompanying letterpress. The enchanting 

 descriptions of the species figured, are beyond all 

 conception beautiful, and are indeed scarcely se- 

 cond to those of Wilson. The accuracy of these 

 biographies has been doubted by our amiable 

 friend Mr. Waterton, of Walton Hall. Of this we 

 are scarcely qualified to judge with regard to the 

 exclusively Transatlantic species, except by com- 



