540 Recently published Ornithological Works. 
what different arrangement is pursued. The groups of 
birds, which are placed in a Hall by themselves, are designed 
to illustrate not only the postures and habits, but also the 
haunts of the different species. Besides the specimens 
themselves (male, female, nest, eggs, and young) a reproduc¬ 
tion of from 60 to 160 square feet of the country surrounding 
each group is attempted. ie To the accurate and realistic 
representation of the home of the species is added a painting, 
taken from nature, of its habitat, the real foreground being 
connected with the painted background in such a manner 
that one often does not at first see where the former ends 
and the latter begins. The whole therefore gives an adequate 
conception of the nature of the country which the birds 
inhabit, and the conditions under which they live.” 
The plan seems to be excellent, and, though we have never 
had the good fortune to see the “ Habitat Bird-Groups,” we 
are told by those w r ho have inspected them that the scheme 
has been carried out in the most happy and efficient manner, 
and that the 4f Hall ” of Bird-Groups is a most attractive 
sight. 
The “ leaflet 99 now before us contains a series of photo¬ 
graphic reproductions of the “ Bird-Groups,” some twenty or 
more in number, while a map of North America” shews by 
dots the exact localities represented in them. They are 
distributed all over the Continent, from the Canadian 
Rockies to Arizona on the west, and from the St. Lawrence 
to the Bahamas on the east. Each picture has an explana¬ 
tory sheet of letterpress attached to it, which contains the 
chief particulars of the scene in popular language. 
While fully admitting the value and interest of Mr. 
Chapman's work, we, nevertheless, venture a small criticism 
on the name which he has given to it. “Habitat” is simply 
the third person singular of the verb “ habito” and means 
“ it dwells.” Its frequent use as a substantive is, of course, 
well known to every naturalist, but it is not grammatical 
and its employment as a title in apposition to “Bird-Groups” 
seems to us to form rather an unhappy combination. 
