﻿ORNITHOLOGY OF ASIA. 



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every one who can afford a few books on his favourite 

 pursuit. The original edition of Montagu's Ornitho- 

 logical Dictionary is a standard authority, nor must 

 Bewick's British Birds be forgotten, although the fi gures, 

 however beautiful as works of art, are on too small a 

 scale for the determination of doubtful species. Many- 

 other works on British ornithology, either original or 

 compiled, have lately appeared, and more are announced. 

 We fully concur with Mr. Selby, in considering that the 

 u union of conciseness and perspicuity, with a plain di- 

 dactic style, is that in which all works on scientific sub- 

 jects should be written." 



(176'.) The ornithology of Asia has only of late re- 

 ceived some portion of that attention it so greatly 

 demands. Le Vaillant, indeed, has devoted a part of 

 one of his volumes to the horn-bills, a family almost 

 peculiar to this region ; and the title of his work leads 

 us to suppose he contemplated a much fuller account of 

 the rare birds of India. Dr. Horsfield has added con- 

 siderably to our knowledge of the animals of Java, par- 

 ticularly of its birds, in a paper inserted in the Linniean 

 Transactions, and in <a separate work. Mr. Gould has 

 published, in a costly volume, many new and magni- 

 ficent birds from the Himalaya mountains. There are 

 also a few birds in the published collection of General 

 Hardwicke's Indian drawings, but as most of them are 

 designed by native artists, no great degree of accuracy 

 or of finish can be expected. There is still wanting a 

 complete work on the general ornithology of this eastern 

 hemisphere, worthy alike of the splendour of the sub- 

 jects, of the present state of zoological painting, and 

 of the munificence of that body of princely patrons 

 under whose fostering care so much has been done to 

 illustrate the civil and natural history of our oriental 

 possessions. Whether, under the present adverse cir- 

 cumstances of the Honourable East India Company, 

 they have now the means of patronising such a work, is 

 very doubitful ; but it certainly would be vain to attempt 

 it, exceptng under their auspices. The birds of Africa 

 p 



