ORNITHOLOGY;
N. A. V IG O R S , Esq., A.M ., F .B .S ., &c.
A l t h o u g h a great portion of the Birds brought home by Captain Beechey
are of considerable interest, as being either entirely new to science, or species
that have hitherto been rarely found in European museums, still, from the
nature of the expedition, the general observations that result from the collection
are not of such importance as under other circumstances might have been
expected from the zeal and science of the commander and his officers. The
expedition touched at various points, without making a lengthened stay at
any ; and the collection consequently consists of a variety of species met with
at detached and distant localities, rather than of an extensive series which
might serve to illustrate the zoology of a particular spot. Under these circumstances,
the same comprehensive deductions as to the geographical distribution
of animal life, which affords the chief interest of foreign collections,
cannot be made from the present collection, as would have been the case if
the researches of the collectors had been more concentrated.