BIRDS. 
69 
their manufacturing of genera, have set aside all the laws of nomencla- 
ture, and indulged in the most senseless compounds, which no philologer 
can divine. For instance, the name Brachypteracias does not, as is here 
supposed, derive its concluding syllables from am ; hut the frightful 
name, as Wiegniann called it, is forged from Brachypteryx and Coracias, 
just as Cypsnagra is from Cypselus and Tanagra! ! Again, Dacelo is 
not a proper or personal name, but Leach coined it by a transposition 
of the letters of Alcedo. There is need of an Illiger to clean this 
Augean stable ! 
The 13th volume of the Naturalist’s Library, conducted by Sir 
William Jardine, has been issued. It contains the natural History of 
the N ectariniadce or Sun Birds. 
In the Lev. Zool. p. 202 and 55, Hartlaub has communicated some 
observations on Gray’s Genera Avium, and contributions to the correc- 
tion of synonymes. It is much to be desired, that this latter occupation 
was oftener exercised, and that ornithologists, instead of busying them- 
selves with the dehning of new species and genera, would employ their 
leisure in the critical examination of those already published. 
Marcel de Serres, des causes des Migrations des Animaiix 
et particulierement des Oiseaiix et des Poissons. 
The Scientific Society at Harlem had selected for a prize essay, AVhat 
are the causes of the migration of fish, particularly the species which 
serve for nourishment or other economical purposes ? Marcel de Serres 
of Montpellier, has answered the question to the satisfaction of the 
Society, and they have published his work in the Natuurk. Verhandel. 
van de H. Maatschappii der AVetenschappen te Haarlem. 2 Deel. Haarh, 
1842. It occupies the whole volume. M. de Serres properly took up 
the general question, and extended his work to all classes of animals of 
which there are migratory species. The treatise is very interesting, but 
cannot here be farther discussed in detail. 
In the Rev. Zool. 1842, p. 317, attention is called to a little Polish 
book on fowling, which appeared in the sixteenth century, and has been 
again published, with a commentary by Ant. Waga, under the title 
Myslestwo Ptasze, &c. It contains many details on the Birds of Poland. 
Several works have appeared on the eggs and nests of birds. 
Des Murs has given in the Alag. de Zool. 1842, Ois. pi. 22, contribu- 
tions to an Ornithological Ovography, to be used in the System of Birds, 
in which he considers form, shell, and colour. He distinguishes six 
forms, the spherical, oval, cylindrical, ovate, ovato- conic, and elliptic. 
He also gives an example how these forms are to be systematically em- 
ployed. Lafresnaye also makes some remarks on the same subject, in 
the Rev. Zool. p. 302. The eggs of all our Sa.vicolinw are blue ; of all 
^13 H 
