160 ornithologist's text-book. 



each species may possess, with philosophical ob- 

 servations on their uses in Nature. Some of 

 Mudie's histories in his Feathered Tribes might 

 be taken as fair samples, and also many of those 

 of Wilson and Audubon. As we shall presently 

 lay before our readers a description of some one 

 species in the manner which we should wish to 

 see each treated, further observations on this head 

 are needless. After the popular account, the table 

 of synonyms may be placed, and, finally, the 

 description of feathers. We have no doubt but 

 most of our readers have frequently felt the incon- 

 venience of lighting upon a dry scientific descrip- 

 tion of feathers, between the delightful details of 

 habits which are to be found in Wilson, Audubon, 

 and Mudie. In the account of the bird which we 

 have extracted, we have, accordingly, placed the 

 details of the feathers after the synonyms. And 

 thus the general reader can skip the latter at plea- 

 sure, whilst they are more convenient for the refer- 

 ence of the professed Ornithologist. In popular 

 biographies we should have preferred placing the 

 song, nidification, time of appearance, &c, each 

 under their proper head, and to have marked these 

 heads in Italic characters at the beginning of the 

 paragraph ; and had the description been our own, 

 we should most assuredly have done so. 



The characters of the several groups should be 

 given in precisely the same manner as in Selby's 

 admirable work on British birds. 



With regard to the figures of birds, there should 

 be a coloured plate of each ; or where the sexes or 

 young differ materially, these also must be figured, 

 and drawn either from Nature, by the most eminent 

 artists, or carefully selected from the works of the 

 best authors. Accurate delineations of the nest 

 and eggs of each species would also be required. 



In fine, having thus given a brief and rapid 



