﻿ASIATIC ORNITHOLOGY. 



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reason to know, are so very extensive as probably to 

 equal those of Le Vaillant, and we believe that imme- 

 diate steps will be taken, upon his return to England, to 

 make them known to the world : many of the new spe- 

 cies, indeed, have already been published. The collec- 

 tor, therefore, who goes to the Cape cannot expect to 

 meet with many novelties, although he may procure 

 a number of species. If, however, at some future time, 

 the peaceful state of the Caffre country will enable him 

 to explore the tracts beyond the Great Fish River towards 

 Natal, he will enter upon new ground. It seems strange 

 that we know so little of the ornithology of the immense 

 island of Madagascar, at least collectively, seeing that it 

 is proverbially rich in animals, and that intelligent in- 

 dividuals, both French and English, have long resided 

 there. We should certainly recommend this country 

 as one which promised many novelties, both among the 

 land and sea birds. We have omitted to mention, that 

 the birds of Egypt have been described and figured by 

 Savigny in that splendid national work which records 

 the French expedition into that country, but its enor- 

 mous price renders its publication almost useless to 

 science at large. 



(213.) The regions of Asia have been very un- 

 equally explored. Those under the dominion of Russia 

 were visited by Pallas, and many new and peculiar 

 species were described by him ; they cannot, however, 

 be incorporated in our modern systems, for few of 

 them are figured, and none described, with that minute- 

 ness which will enable us to refer them to their natural 

 groups. The ornithology of Central Asia, and almost 

 of China, is scarcely known, and there is no prospect 

 of much additional information arising. The Chinese, 

 however, are a clever and a thrifty people. They have 

 made the collecting of insects for the European market 

 a regular branch of trade, — why may they not be in- 

 structed and encouraged to do the same with birds ? 

 We think those English gentlemen, residents at Macao, 

 who are attached to natural history, would do well to 



