Herr Badeker’s and Dr. Brewer's Oological Works. 411 
illustrate tlie Oology of North America/’ and the descriptions 
are not limited merely to notices of those species of whose eggs 
the author can supply illustrations, but give as much information 
as possible about what are still f Desiderata ’ to him. It pos¬ 
sesses, too, a quality as remarkable, we regret to say, for 
singularity as for merit: “ In all instances the illustrations are 
taken directly from the egg itself, and in none has any attempt 
been made to make use of drawings,” for, with a few praise¬ 
worthy exceptions, this is a fact which cannot be asserted of 
oological works in general. However, we do not entirely agree 
with the Doctor in the remarks which follow the above-quoted 
passage, for we consider that we have in England at least one 
draughtsman whose works give an unqualified contradiction 
to our author’s opinions; but we have already in this article 
noticed the great practical difficulty of depicting eggs accurately, 
and the consequent scarcity of competent artists. In the absence, 
therefore, of a Trans-Atlantic Mr. Hewitson, Dr. Brewer is quite 
right in the course he has pursued, which is that of profiting by 
an “ ingenious application of photography to the aid of litho¬ 
graphy and the result is a series of figures, somewhat deficient, 
perhaps, in brilliancy, yet certainly sufficiently well coloured, and 
of course unsurpassed in the fidelity with which characteristic 
markings are rendered. 
Of the letter-press of the work we are also justified in 
speaking highly, though it is no more than might be expected 
of the author. In his own language, his design “ embraces as 
its legitimate subjects the external shape, size, and markings of 
the eggs, the nests, or the substitutes for nests, the general 
habits of the birds peculiar to the breeding season, and their 
geographical distribution, especially so far as the last may be in 
connexion with their nesting; ” and we are bound to say that 
Dr. Brewer is not one of those writers who keep the word of 
promise to the ear, but break it to the hope. If there be any 
let or hindrance to the due performance of what he has under¬ 
taken, it is a stern necessity —quam vincere non datur —that 
compels him to yield. Oology in the United States labours 
under the disadvantage of having but few votaries, though of a 
truth their paucity is in some measure compensated for by their 
