236 
The Nahtralist in La Plata, 
species known. And yet witk the exception of 
that dry husk of knowledge, concerning size, form 
and colouration, which classifiers and cataloguers ob- 
tain from specimens, very little indeed — scarcely any- 
thing, in fact — ^is known about the Tree-creepers; and 
it would not be too much to say that there are many 
comparatively obscure and uninteresting species in 
Europe, any one of which has a larger literature 
than the entire Tree-creeper family. No separate 
work about these birds has seen the light, even in 
these days of monographs; but the reason of this 
comparative neglect is not far to seek. In the 
absence ol any knowledge, except of the most frag- 
mentary kind, of the life-habits of exotic species, the 
monograph-makers of the Old World naturally take 
up only the most important groups — i.e. the groups 
Avhich most readily attract the traveller’s eye with 
their gay conspicuous colouring, and Avhich have 
acquired a Avide celebrity. We thus have a suc- 
cession of splendid and expensive works dealing 
separately with such groups as woodpeckers, trogons, 
humming-birds, tanagers, king-fishers, and birds of 
paradise ; for with these, even if there be nothing 
to record beyond the usual dreary details and 
technicalities concerning geographical distribution, 
Amriations in size and markings of different species, 
&c., the little interest of the letter-press is com- 
pensated for in the accompanying plates, Avhich are 
now produced on a scale of magnitude, and with so 
great a degree of perfection, as regards brilliant 
colouring, spirited attitudes and general fidelity to 
nature, that leaves little further improvement in this 
direction to be looked for. The Tree-creepers, being 
