﻿ORNITHOLOGICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY. 221 



other essays and papers that may come under this class, 

 scattered in the Transactions of Societies both at home 

 and abroad. We must again repeat, that to complete 

 these lists by noticing all incorporated papers of this 

 description would extend this part of our volume to a 

 most disproportionate length. 



(180.) Our fifth and last section contains such works 

 as are more especially intended to illustrate the science 

 by coloured plates : they are necessarily, on this ac- 

 count, of the most expensive description, and are there- 

 fore aptly termed by the French Ouvrages de luxe. 

 Some few, being of the nature of monographs, have 

 been already alluded to, and others, like the African 

 birds of Le Vaillant, and those of India by Gould, 

 would have been inserted, did they not decidedly be- 

 long to geographic ornithology. These are the works 

 which should be in all public libraries whose funds 

 are equal to their purchase ; and they should be ne- 

 cessary accompaniments to public museums intended 

 to advance zoological science. Unfortunately, however, 

 such institutions in England are remarkably deficient 

 in this respect ; so that it has become almost impos- 

 sible for the naturalist to prosecute his studies success- 

 fully, without in curing an expense so enormous that 

 few private incomes can support. We have heard that 

 the Zoological Society, the richest in this country, and 

 that above all others which should possess a princely 

 library in its own department of science, is yet deficient 

 in some of the most ordinary works of consultation 

 and of reference. On the other hand, the RatclifFe 

 Library at Oxford is proverbially the richest, in all the 

 splendid zoological publications we are about to enume- 

 rate, of any in Britain. Its late lamented librarian, Dr. 

 Williams, was more especially distinguished for his zeal 

 and liberality in this respect, and to him the library is 

 mainly indebted for the celebrity it has acquired in this 



second number, and we have been unsuccessful in procuring their eKflct 

 titles. 



