ILLUSTRATIONS OF ORNITHOLOGY.
TIIE completion of Mr. GOULD'S splendid work of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains, and Mr. LEAR'S Illustrations of the Family of Psittacicke, or Parrots, simultaneously with the appearance of Dr. RIctrannsases and Mr. SWAINSON'S valuable work on the Birds of North America, and the announcement by Mr. GOULD of a new work on a large scale of the Birds of Europe, are proofs sufficient that in one branch at least we are removing the imputation that has been thrown upon the nation, of want of encouragement to grand works of science. The extent and costliness of many foreign collections of specimens of natural history, will no longer be unrivalled. Of the Century of Birds collected from that great chain of moun- tains in Central Asia, the Himalaya, the greater portion are unknown in Europe ; they include many new forms, and none of them have till now been figured. The specimens include generally the male and female, and they are mostly of life size, but in some cases are reduced to two- thirds. These birds are more particularly interesting to the English naturalist, from their being of a similar species with many of our native birds, and the inhabitants of the same parallel of latitude. For instance, there are Woodpeckers, in brilliant variety of rich plumage ; Shrikes; Pigeons, of a greenish yellow hue; Jays, beautifully marked, lance- olated, striated, &c. ; Magpies, the red-billed and wandering, with graceful tails of long feathers ; Redstarts, red-breasted and blue- headed; one or two of the Falcon species, particularly a fine Blood Hawk; Bustards; Owls; the Titmouse and Cuekow ; a Kingfisher, beautifully spotted white and black; several of our song birds, as the Bullfinch, Goldfinch, and Thrush ; a Nutcracker, only the second hitherto discovered of the genus ; a singular Partridge, called the Choker; a Water-hen with flowing tail, and spider-like feet ; an In- dian Goose; Fly-seekers, brilliant in the contrast of their red and yellow breasts with black wings; Sun-birds, exquisite little creatures for form and plumage, the sight of which reminds us of the lines--
" As winglet of the fairy humming bird. Like atoms of the rainbow fluttering round;"
and lastly, several Pheasants of the most superb plumage; the Horned and Hastings's Pheasants are gorgeous in colour,—crimson, orange, and purple throats, with rich brown backs spotted white;, the Impeyan, a combination of brilliant gem-like hues looking like an artificial crea- tion—the white-crested and elegant, lady-like creature, of most chaste colour ; and Stacey's, of a delicate light brown, with dark spots, and a tail beautifully marked. The drawings are made on stone, from nature, by Mrs. GOULD ; and reflect the highest credit upon her skill and taste, as well as upon her perseverance. The living look and appropriate action and character of the birds, and the variety of their positions, give the best testimony of the accuracy of the resemblances. Their colours and forms afford a great variety; and the volume, if it were not attractive as a scientific work, would be so as a picture-book. The letterpress descriptions are by Mr. VIGORS, and published in a separate volume in octavo ; the plates are folio size. The work is dedicated to their Majesties.
Mr. LEAR'S Parrots, including the Lory, Macaw, Cockatoo, and Par- rakeet, principally from New Holland, afford some curious specimens not commonly known to the unscientific, though most of the originals are in the Zoological Gardens. The superb plumage of these birds, and their rich colours of purple, red, green, and yellow, render the plates a gorgeous feast to the eye ; and the volume will be a splendid ornament to the drawing-room table. The drawings are artist-like and bold in style, with good pictorial effect ; and the birds also, being drawn mostly from life, are full of animation. They are mostly of the size of nature.
The plates of Birds in the Fauna Boreali-Amerieana of Dr. RIcHARD- SON and Mr. SWAINSON, are drawn by the latter ; a fact we did not know last week, when we noticed the work in our Literary department. Mr. SWAINSON is an artist of no ordinary skill, as well as a naturalist ; and he has drawn the birds himself on the stone, with great delicacy, spirit, and, we doubt not, with the most accurate fidelity. Mr. Swats/- stow has had the advantage of becoming acquainted with the manners and habits of birds, by long study and watching in the forests of South America ; a circumstance which may account for the life-like air of his drawings. The plates are small, and all of one size; the lesser only being the size of life. This arrangement, though not so good as that of reducing the larger to scale, or in certain proportions, was necessary to diminish the great expense which would otherwise have been un- voidably incurred, and to keep the plates within the compass of the quarto volume of letter-press which they illustrate.
The whole of the plates of these three works are printed in litho- graphy, by HULLMANDEL, and coloured afterwards by BAYFIELD ; and it were unjust to pass over the merits of either colourer or printer. The colouring is rich, clear, and artist-like; and the plates look like original drawings, as the lithography shows like pencilling under the colours, which are brilliant, and laid on with great firmness and free- dom. For coloured plates, whether figures or views, plants or animals, anatomical or mineralogical specimens, lithography is far superior to any mode of engraving; and it is consequently attaining general adop- tion. It enables the artist and naturalist to give that truth and free- dom in their delineations which is lost in the engraving; besides which, the sharp lines of copperplate are harsh and wiry, and do not admit of that softness and richness which lithography produces. The downy and feathery appearance of these birds is inimitable by any other mode.
Mr. Gouty's intended work of the Birds of Europe will be pub- lished in quarterly parts of twenty plates each ; fifteen of them being devoted to British Birds, and five to those of the Continent of Europe. Those who desire to limit their collection to our native birds, may do so by subscribing to the British only. Both land and water Birds, male and female, will be figured ; and the periodical changes of plumage, varying with the season, will be particularly illustrated. The drawings will be made by Mrs. Gout.% from living or very recently killed birds, in order to insure a greater degree of truth, both of character and co- louring, than museum specimens can supply. The work will be a valuable acquisition to science, and of universal interest; and the Hi- malayan Birds, with which it will correspond in size, style, and mode of getting up, afford an inviting specimen of its future appearance.
• ROYAL INSTITUTION.
AN Italian nobleman delivered at this Institution, on Friday evening, a lecture on Improvisation, which excited much interest in the hearers, and of which a correspondent has sent us the following account. Describing extemporaneous poetry as a spiritual mania, arising from irrita- tion and over excitement of the brain, the lecturer introduced an account of the principal improvisatori of all ages, and of almost all nations. David and Judith were adduced in proof of the Hebrews ; of whose extemporaneous songs he gave several specimens in the Hebrew language. The Phcenicians had also their improvisaton ; of whom the most celebrated was a certain Murbal, who lived about 550 years before Christ. By quotations from Vino it, the lec- turer showed that at the banquet which Dido gave to ..;Eneas, a certain Jopas sang extemporaneous poetry, thus proving that the Carthagenians had their im- pronsaton. Hannibal also, when in Italy, had with him at Capua an impro- visator, called Hamicar, who sung of the successes of his arms and his amours. The celebrated Carthagenian traveller Hanno took with him into the interior of Africa an improvisator called Satubol, whose sole duty it was to amuse the wearied traveller after the toils of the day. The Egyptians had their impro- visatori. At the court of Cleopatra, according to the records of Egyptian history, was one Berytis, who, during her banquets given to Mark Antony, sang extemporaneous verses in honour of that warrior's valour and prowess. Among the Greeks, besides Homer, Orpheus, Sappho, Corinna, and Museus, he quoted from STRABO several others; and especially the Thyrsian Academy, the members of which were all improvisatori. The Arcadians were also men- tioned, and the poetical challenges of Thyrsis and Corydon. The Romans had their improvisatori; which was proved by quoting from Normans of Halicarnassus, the instance of a Roman who sang extemporane- ous poetry during the reign of Romulus. The lecturer also cited CICERO, as speaking of the extemporaneous poet Archias ; then SUBTONICS, who writes of one Quintus Rendus Fannius under the same character; next, of Oven; and lastly, of a young person who under Trajan obtained the honour of a public coro- nation for his extraordinary power of improvising. The Minnesingers andthe Leibesingers were adduced as specimens from the Germans. The Troubadours of Provence, the French Trouverers, and several Spanish and Polish improvisatori, were also quoted. In speaking of the French, however, the lecturer expressed himself little pleased with French poetry in general. The English.also were not forgotten. Lord Byaow, with whom the lecturer was intimate at Pisa, was alluded to as having in his presence delivered an ex- tempoOlieous poem over the tomb of a child, interred in the Campo-Santo of that city. Italy, the land of song and of the Improvisatori, was next introduced. When he arrived at this. part of the subject, the lecturer was deeply affected. He di- vided the Impronsatori of Italy into two classes—the educated and the unedu- cated. Of the former, he selected, as the most esteemed and celebrated, Serafino dell' Aquila, Bernardo Accolti Brandolini, Giammaria Filelfo, Nicola Leoni- ceno, Andrea Marone, Bernardino Perfetti, Corilla Olympics, Metastasio, the Duke of Lusciano, Gianni Sgricci, and Taddei. Of the uneducated, he cited three whom he had personally known, and of whom he related many striking and humorous anecdotes ; particularly of a Neapolitan Lazzarone, who having been asked the differe:.* between a physician and an assassin, replied in poetry, that the difference was but in name,—the assassin first killed a man, and then robbed him of what lie possessed ; the physician first took from him all that he had, and then killed him ; the assassin often died by the hands of the execu- tioner, but the physician, after having destroyed an entire parish, enjoyed in it a life of affluence and ease. The manner in which this anecdote was given—the lecturer humorously apologizing to the physicians present for its introduction— produced a roar of lalighter from the audience. The lecturer then demonstrated, from historical facts and physiological rea- soning., strengthened by a variety of Latin poetical quotations, that while im- provising, the extemporaneous poet is decidedly under the influence of a species of mania. The lecturer having explained the art of impi.ovising, now requested that the terminating words of any sonnet should be given to him. These were selected, by the President of the evening, from PETRARCH and another of the audience proposed the subject of Naples. The lecturer, with scarcely a minute's con- sideration, gave fourteen lines in Italian poetry on his native country, and con- demnatory of its present government ; each line terminating with the word which had been furnished to him from PETRARCH. The second subject pro- posed was Love. On the causes and effects of this all-conquering passion, he delivered himself with equal promptitude and success. The admiration of the audience was here manifested by general and long-continued applause. T he lecturer now intimated his intention of singing an extemporaneous song, accompanied by music, on any given subject ; but a friend, whom he had ex- pected there that night, having unavoidably disappointed him, he was under the necessity of appealing to some gentleman present to play for him on the piano- forte a -few simple notes. Music, however, was so rare an accomplishment among them, or their diffidence was so ovespowering, that this appeal was
i
made n vain; and the audience were ultimately indebted to the kindness of a young lady, who, with numerous other ladies, graced the gallery of the lecture- room. The subject now proposed was Music. The improvisatore here shone forth in strong relief,—first descanting on the harmony and music of the spheres; then on the melodious warblings of the feathered creation; and lastly, on the effects and power of music on the human mind and character: and here he very ingeniously seized the opportunity of complimenting the lady who accompanied him, to whom lie.kpillantly rendered his grateful acknowledgments for the kind- ness she had mamtested, while his appeal to the other sex had been unavailing. The last subject given was Poland—unfortunate Poland! The ode sung by the lecturer on this subject we have procured from an Italian who was present; and would insert it were our space not demanded by other matters. At the termination, more rapturous and long-continued plaudits than usu- ally proceed from an English audience, manifested the astonishment and gra- tification these specimens of actual improvising produced. The Polish poet NiEmcrAvicir, whose silvery locks told of sorrows as well as winters, with eyes overflowing with tears, enthusiastically embraced the lecturer at the con- clusion, expressing the most heartfelt gratitude for the feeling manner he had sung of his persecuted country. On the whole, the display of genius was most effective; and the entire sub- ject of conversation in the library, after the lecture, was divided between the lecturer and the intellectual treat lie had furnished.
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