of certain Birds of. Cuba. | 3 
do: but as, to say the least, it is somewhat oracular to advance 
positions of arrangement without deigning to state the observed 
facts on which they are grounded, I trust that not merely zoology, 
but moreover that species of comparative anatomy upon which 
zoology must always rest as its firmest basis, lies peculiarly 
within the province of the Linnean Society. "A good authority 
on this subject has said: ‘* L'histoire naturelle d'un animal est 
la connaissance de tout l'animal. Sa structure interne est à lui 
autant et peut-être plus que sa forme exterieure*.— Depuis que 
l'histoire naturelle prend enfin la Nature pour base de ses distri- 
butions, ses rapports avec l'anatomie sont devenus plus intimes. 
L'une de ces sciences. ne peut faire un pas sans que l'autre en 
profite. Les rapprochemens que la première etablit indiquent 
souvent à l'autre les recherches qu'elle doit fairet." - If, how- 
ever, some comparative anatomists will lose sight of the con- 
 nexion between the two sciences, and thus of the grand object 
of their art, thereby subjecting themselves to that imputation 
of dryness and contraction of ideas, which has been (I should 
hope, rather hastily) applied as well to the English zoologists as 
comparative anatomists ł, let the zoologist at least Íree himself 
from the charge; and x the union n of the one.science, which 
affords facts, with the oth ‘us the mode of arrang- 
ing them, let him endeavour to approach ‘‘ cette methode na- 
turelle unique qui doit faire le but de tous les naturalistes." 
I have been led to these remarks, because, subject in a parti- 
cular degree to error as an individual like myself must always 
be, who has not had the benefit of a regular anatomical educa- 
tion, I venture to lay before the Linnean Society some. observa- 
tions on the anatomy of birds,—less. indeed in the expectation 
that they can merit attention in themselves, than in the sen 
P - 
* Cuvier, Lec. d' Anat. Comp. vol. 3. p. xxii. + Ibid. vol. 1. p- xvii. 
l Ibid. vol. 1. p. xvii. x 
B2 "that 
