﻿200 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 



by imposing names upon new species. We have, it is to 

 be hoped, outlived the age when the bare dictum of au- 

 thority was implicitly believed and followed. Inductive 

 and analogical reasoning will soon obtain its legitimate 

 influence in this, as it has long been paramount in all 

 other branches of physical science, " through which one 

 principle and one spirit alike prevails."* In the writ- 

 ings of such labourers, in the different departments of 

 zoology, as M.M. Bennett, Owen, Ogelby, Westwood, 

 Doubleday, Walker, Halliday, Gray, Gould, and many 

 others, we already see those who will become worthy 

 successors to such veterans among us as were " first 

 in the race who have more or less contributed to lay 

 the foundation-stone of philosophic classification, or 

 who have already ec won, and passed away/' And if 

 we refrain from mentioning others whose talents are no 

 less promising, it is only because they are wisely em- 

 ployed in that preparatory study which is essential to 

 the real advancement of our favourite science, and to 

 the acquisition of any fame that is to be permanent. 



(170.) Adverting to what we have already advanced 

 on those points which constitute the merits of ornitho- 

 logical works, whether general or particular, we shall 

 now arrange such as are the best known, or are the 

 most valuable, under the following heads : — 1 . General 

 systems ; 2. General systematic descriptions ; 3. Partial 

 scientific descriptions; 4. Local or geographic ornitho- 

 logy; 5. Illustrative or iconographic ornithology. To 

 each of these we shall subjoin short critical notices on 

 its execution and contents. 



(171.) Of general systems, which do not embrace 

 the details or descriptions of the species, the most 

 popular or esteemed are those of Illiger, Cuvier, 

 Vieillot and Temminck. As we have explained the 

 peculiarities, and compared the several merits of these 

 in a former volume t, it will be unnecessary to repeat 

 the same details in this place. The groups of Illiger 



* Sir William Herschel's Preliminary Discourse, 

 f Classification of Animals. 



