338 



Bibliographical Nolices. 



Mr. Gould's designs show a remarkable freedom from mannerism. 

 Whether he wishes to represent the torpor of the drowsy Podargus, 

 the dignified repose of the eagle, the pert Malurus, the restless par- 

 rakeet, or the lean and anxious wader, he is equally successful in his 

 efforts. No attitude of action or of repose which is consistent with 

 natural habits comes amiss to him, and in this respect he preserves 

 a happy medium between the stiff formality of Temminck's ' Planches 

 Coloriees,' and the occasional extravagances of Audubon. We may 

 refer to the figures of Lathamus discolor, Melopsittacus undulatus, 

 Meliphaga australasiuna and Falco frontatus, as particularly good ex- 

 amples of elegance of attitude and successful fore-shortening. 



This correctness of taste is no less exhibited in the accompani- 

 ments to his figures than in the figures themselves. Zoological art- 

 ists are apt to fall into the extremes either of depicting nothing be- 

 yond the mere object itself, or of introducing so much detail into 

 the surrounding scenery as to distract the attention from the prin- 

 cipal figures. Here, on the contrary, Mr. Gould, with the true feel- 

 ing of a lover of Nature, introduces as much of the surrounding 

 landscape as serves to illustrate the manners and haunts of the bird, 

 but takes care not to overload the scene with details of drawing and 

 vividness of colour. 



Mr. Gould has however very properly relaxed this rule in the case 

 of Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus and Chlamydera muculata, two birds 

 whose extraordinary manners well deserve the double- sized plates 

 which he has devoted to them. The designs of these two magnificent 

 plates fully equal the most successful efforts of Audubon, while in 

 point of execution (from the vast superiority of lithography over cop- 

 per-plate in depicting plumage) they far exceed the works of the Ame- 

 rican artist. We should indeed be proud to call in the aid of frame 

 and glass, and decorate our study with these two beautiful pictures. 



In no respect is this work more valuable than on account of the 

 extraordinary correctness with which the tints of plumage are repre- 

 sented. We have often had occasion to lay specimens of the actual 

 bird by the side of Mr. Gould's plates, and the identity of their tints 

 is perfectly surprising. 



The numerous Australian plants also introduced into the plates 

 render the work almost as valuable to the botanist as to the orni- 

 thologist. Among the more striking of these, we may mention the 

 figures of Eucalyptus gibbosus, Epacris impressa, Beaufortia decussata, 

 Billardiera longiflora, Leptospermum squarrosum, &c. 



Among the curious examples of nests figured in these plates, we 

 may refer to those of Rhipidura albiscapa and Dicceum hirundinaceum, 

 the one resembling a wine-glass, and the other a retort, as being 

 highly interesting novelties. We could have wished indeed that Mr. 

 Gould had more frequently introduced the eggs and nests into his 

 plates, which would have tended to make his family groups more 

 life-like, besides being a valuable addition to our scientific knowledge. 

 Let us hope that he will supply this desideratum by hereafter pub- 

 lishing an " Australian Oology," for which he is known to possess 

 very ample materials. 



