618 
of language among themfelves, that we 
never miftake the tone of a bird for that 
of abealt. Etymologifts oftentimcs fiat- 
ter themfelves wich the difcovery of refem- 
blances which are purely ideal. 
ANTIQUITIES AND TCPOGRAPHY. 
“« The Hiftory and Antiquities of Reading, 
by the Rev. CHarLes Coates, L.L.B.&c. 
Mr. Coates-has relieved the drynefs of 
antiquarian refearch by the intreduftion 
of much curious biographical and hifort- 
cal informa:ion,illuftrative of ancient man- 
ners and cuftoms. His work is-executed 
with great care, and nothing feemed to 
have efcaped the author which could throw 
light upon the early annals of the town 
whofe hiftory he relates. 
“* The Hiflory of the Roman Wall which 
croffes the Ifland of Dritain, from the Ger- 
man Ocean to the Irifh Sea, defcribing its 
anctent flate, cnd ils appearance ix the year 
3801, by. W, HUTTON, Bers...” 
At the age of feventy-cight, the writer 
of this entertaining volume undertook, 
and performed a journey of fix hundred 
miles to fte this celebrated wall, and he 
travelled over the whole length of ic! Mr. 
Hutton has compofed a curious antiqua- 
tian memoir. 
Mr. Nichols proceeds in his laborious 
undertaking ‘“* The Hiflory aad Anti- 
guities of Leicefter.’ He has publithed the 
rit part of volume ITI. 
“ Jaxatio Ecclefaflica Anghe et 
Wallie auforitate P. Nicholai IV. Circa 
A D.1291. Printed by command of his Ma 
jefty King George the Third, Gc. In pur- 
juance of an addrefs of the Houfe of Com- 
ions of Great britain.” 
A very valuable book of reference. 
<< Ancw edition with material addi- 
tions and improvements is publifbed, of 
Captain Grofe’s Military Antiquities, re- 
Specting a Hiftory of the Englifh Ariny, 
Srom the Conqueft to ihe prefent Time.” 
“¢ The principal defeét of the laft edi- 
tion was the want of arrangementand me- 
thod, which caufed a certain degree of con- 
fifion, and made the work feem void of 
chronological order. This the editor has 
endeavoured to remedy in the prefert edi- 
tion, by a divifizo of the whole into ci! 
tinét chapters. Some errors, which will 
unavoidably find their way into every ori- 
ginal work, have been corrected ;* and the 
hiftery, which in no part reached further 
than 3785, has been brought down to tke 
year 1800.” 
NATURAL HISTORY, NATURAL PHILO- 
SOPHY, AND PHYSICS. 
ce A Synopls of the Britifh Fuci, by 
Dav.sin TURNER, A.M. &c.  ® 
» Retrofpedl of Demeftic Liter ature— Antiquities, Sec. 
Thefe {mall volumes will be found a 
great acquifition to botany: they confer 
great honour on the induftry of Mr. Tur- 
ner’s refearches and the accuracy of his 
obfervations. The tafk of defcribing Bri- 
tifh Fuci-is befet with difficulties ; for, in 
addition to thofe which are common te all 
the orders of the clafs of cryptogaimia,there 
are others arifing from the element which 
the fuci inhabit and the difficulty of ap- 
proaching them. The prefent work, plain 
and un:xpenfive in its appearance, and mo- 
dettly entitled a Synopfis of Briifh Fuci, 
is in reality a general hifory of the'e plants, 
comprifing not only full and accurate de- 
feriptions of each {pecies, but an account 
of whatever has been done by former wri- 
ters to elucidate this obfcure fubje&t, and 
affording critical remarks upon their re- 
fpestive works. The prefent volumes are 
written in Englifh: Mr. Turner has it in 
contemplation to undertake at fome future 
neriod the bolder tafk of publifhing a hif- 
tery of all the fuci hitherto known, which 
of courfe will be addreffed to the learned 
of all nations, in the only language which 
is common to them. 
‘© 4n Effay on the Relation between the 
Specific Gravities, and the Strengths and 
Values of Spirituous Liquors; with rules 
for the adaptation of Mr.Gilpin’s Tables to 
the Prefent Standard, and Two new 
Tables for finding the per Centage and Con- 
centration when the fpecifie Gravity and 
Temperature are given. By ATKINS and 
Co. Mathematical Inftrument Makers.” 
A very ufeful volume,made additionally 
valuable by the tables, added to facilitate 
the ufe cf Mr. Gilpin’s in the Philofophi- 
cal Tranfaétions. 
‘ Ornithological Didionary ; or, Alpha- 
betical Synopfis of Britifh Birds. By GEORGE 
Montacu, F.L.S.” 
The plan of this Di€tionary ts to give 
the charaSterittic diftinétions of each genus, 
with references to all Engl.fh works of 
credit on the fubje&t, and to fome authors 
in other languages. The other birds be- 
longing to the fame genus are defcribed 
feparately, with references alfo to works 
in which they are to be found. Mr. Mon- 
tagu inferts the popular and provincial, 
as well as the {cientific,names of birds; ree 
fering from the former to the latter for 
the fynonyms and defcription of the bird. 
This is an excellent plan, and very much 
facilitates the ftudies of the young rni- 
thologift. It is much to be wifhed that 
fimilar Di€tionaries may be compiled, re- 
ferring to the other principal clafles of 
nature. . rot 
«* Entomologia Britannica, fiftens In- 
{cfaBritaunia ladigena, fecundum sani 
ule 
