﻿204 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 



the principal author. Very many of the descriptions are 

 original, and all those species are incorporated which have 

 been noted by Azara in Paraguay, and Le Vaillant in 

 Africa. Notwithstanding this work is unavoidably de- 

 ficient in the more recent discoveries, and defective in 

 perpetuating species loosely described by former writers, 

 and which are only nominal, it is unquestionably the best 

 general system of ornithology at present existing. It 

 may therefore be cited as a good authority ; and it should 

 be in the possession of every one who is desirous of investi- 

 gating species. It may be as well to observe, that the 

 fourth volume, which is sold separately, consists entirely 

 of plates : but the figures are so extremely rude and in- 

 accurate, that they deserve not to be consulted or quoted. 

 In concluding this part of our subject, we must not pass 

 over BufFon, whose Ornithology, with all its defects, 

 must ever be regarded as a standard authority. He was 

 the first to describe those numerous species which are 

 figured in the Planches Enluminees, and which are 

 copied into our English systems. The best edition we 

 have seen of BufFon is that edited by Sonnini, on account 

 of the notes and remarks upon the birds of Guiana, 

 which the latter was able to insert from his original ob- 

 servations. The system of Brisson is now, like that of his 

 more celebrated countryman, obsolete ; but, as nearly all 

 the descriptions are made from real specimens, and are 

 remarkably accurate, the work is very useful as one of 

 consultation. The following are the titles of the books 

 here recommended. 



Brisson. Ornithologia. Latin and French. Paris. 1760. 



6 vol. 4to. Paris. 

 Brisson. Ornithologia sive Synopsis Methodica, sistens Avium 



divisionem in Ordines, Sectiones, Genera, Species, &c, Lugd. 



Bat. 1763. 2 vol. 8vo. (A Synopsis of the above, contain- 

 ing the essential characters in Latin). 

 BufFon. Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. Par Leclerc de 



BufFon. Redige par C. S. Sonnini. Paris. An. xi. 28 vol. 



8vo. (The figures are very rude.) 

 Latham. A general Synopsis of Birds. By Dr. J. Latham. 



London, 1792. &c. 3 vol. and 2 supplements. 4to. (The 



