8 The Humming Bird. 



consider that this volume is offered to the public at the very 

 moderate price of 5 francs, 50 centimes. 



It is quite a revelation in printing. 



The volume begins with an introduction, giving the names 

 and a woodcut of all parts of bird. It follows with a method 

 of skinning and mounting birds, after which comes the classi- 

 fication of the families and the description of all the species 

 found in France. It is a pity that in the preparation of this 

 volume M. Deyrolle did not ask the collaboration of a competent 

 Ornithologist, because there are some things which may appear 

 strange to modern Ornithologists. 



To begin with, page 44 is a woodcut said to represent 

 Syrnium aluco. Instead of that, it is a good representation of 

 Strix flammea, which is again badly represented in page 46. 



In the family of Picid^e, p. 49, he includes Cuculidae ! 



In the family of Alcedinid^e, p. 57, he includes Merops 

 apiaster, "Meropidse," which has nothing to do with the former. 

 , In the family of Gallinaccés, p. 168, he includes the 

 Pteroclidœ and Columbidce. 



In the family of Echassiers, p. 185, he includes all the 

 families of the Orde?s Ralli, Herodiones and Grues, and 

 several families of Limicol^e. 



In the last — that of Palmipèdes, p. 226, which he divides 

 in six groups as follows : — Totipalmes, Longues- Pattes, Becs- 

 crochus, Becs-lamellés, Grandes Ailes and Plongeurs, he 

 includes the remaining families of Limicol.,e, and all the 

 families of the Orders Phœnicopteri, Anseres, Pygopodes, 

 Impennes, Gavi^e and Steganopodes. 



It is regrettable, because this book has been prepared 

 especially for the use of Schools in France. It would have 

 been just as easy to make it, as excellent as it could be, so as 

 to give to students an exact notion of Ornithological Science 

 as it stands at the present moment. 



JVotions Générales et Pratiques sur les Musées Scolaires, by 

 J. Touchet, Naturaliste, Saintes, 1883. 



This pamphlet of 31 pages is excellent, and ought to be in 

 the hands of every one interested in Natural History. 



It starts with a description of what ought to be a Museum 

 of Natural History for the use of children, and it follows with 

 narratives on the origin of Collections, the size of a Museum 

 and its arrangement, the exhibition of Collections of Mammals, 

 and Birds, Eggs, Fishes and Reptiles, Shells, Crustaceœ, Insects, 

 Worms, Plants, Minerals, etc. 



M. J. Touchet seems to be quite at home on all these 

 subjects, and I have been very interested with the contents 

 of his pamphlet. 



