ornithologist's text-book. 89 



has been met with in Britain. The British Oology 

 was com mencedin 1831, and will not be completed 

 till 1842, if continued at the same rate as hitherto. 

 The eggs are figured without any reference to order, 

 and will not be arranged until the conclusion of 

 the work. We think it would have been a much 

 better plan if Mr. Hewitson had obtained a com- 

 plete set of the eggs, before he commenced his 

 work, as he might then have proceeded in system- 

 atic order, the advantages of which must be obvi ■ 

 ous to every one. In fine, we recommend this 

 exquisitely beautiful work to the attention of all 

 our readers. — When we say exquisitely beautiful, 

 we allude chiefly to the plates, which are indeed 

 the principal part of the publication. 



Architecture of Birds, 1831; Habits of Birds, 

 1833; Faculties of Birds, 1835. 12mo. 15s. 

 Knight, Ludgate Street. 



We shall now proceed to notice Professor Ren- 

 nie's "conglomerates," in chronological order; not 

 because they have the smallest influence in ad- 

 vancing the science, but rather, on the contrary, 

 on account of their retarding it. Such compila- 

 tions as we are now noticing, may please the vul- 

 gar, but they have nothing to do with the interests 

 of philosophical science. The woodcuts in these 

 volumes, and especially in the Architecture of 

 Birds, are extremely beautiful, but the letterpress 

 is wholly compiled, and consists either of quota- 

 tions from other works, or of the theories and 

 opinions expressed by preceding authors, with 

 occasionally, but very seldom, a fact observed by 

 the worthy compiler himself. The subjects are 

 arranged with little reference to order, and, on the 

 whole, we never met with more worthless and bare- 

 h 3 



