December 1899] LACEPEDE S " TABLEAUX" 4°7 



Ovipares," which still bears the Saugrain title-page ; Professor Newton 

 has the greater part of an original set containing some of the Saugrain 

 title-pages, which formerly belonged to Mr. de Winton, while Mr. de 

 Winton has recently acquired a second set, bearing the Didot replace- 

 ments. Now it seemed quite possible that the Saugrain issue was 

 published as a whole at first, and proving unsaleable was after- 

 wards issued in livraisons of 2 vols, per month ; but it was not so. 

 Mr. Richmond's authority {Journ. Typ.) is quite accurate, for it is 

 proved to be so by a reference to the Journal G6ndral de la LitUrature 

 de la France, which not only gives from month to month, practically 

 the same information as does the Journ. Typ., but definitely states on 

 7 Nivose vii. (December 28, 1798) that Plassan would publish an 

 18mo ed. of Buffon by Lacepede, 2 vols, on the 1st of each month, 

 beginning Floreal vii. (Ap. 20, 1799). The Journ. Ge'ne'ral also 

 announces the final volumes, xiv. "Quads." and x. " Poissons," in 

 Brumaire, xi. (October 1802). Probably Saugrain dated his volumes 

 l'an vii. because they were all printed and ready to issue by that year, 

 but why Didot so dated his new title-pages is a mystery. Engelmann, 

 Bill. Hist. Nat. 1846, p. 322, refers to a separate issue of the "Tableaux'" 

 in 1802 in 18mo, Plassan; and among the bibliological treasures of 

 Professor Newton is a unique copy of this, containing only the birds, 

 which belonged to Fischer de Waldheim, and has his annotations 

 throughout. It is repaged but otherwise identical with the correspond- 

 ing part of the birds in vol. xiv. of the " Quads." in the Didot Buffon. 

 So much for the Didot Buffon, for much of the elucidation of 

 which we must thank Mr. Richmond. Let us now consider the history 

 of the " Tableaux." As stated in my previous letter, Lacepede read his 

 paper on Mammals before the Institute on 21 Prairial An vii. (June 9, 

 1799), and his paper on Birds 6 Fructidor An vi. (August 23, 1798), 

 or nearly a year before. They were published together in the Mdmoires 

 de VInstitut, vol. iii.. in 1801. They have been frequently quoted as 

 1799, but no copy has ever been produced in support of the statement. 

 I imagined I had found the 1799 issue in the Buffon, but Mr. Rich- 

 moncl has argued that I was mistaken. There was still another refer- 

 ence in Engelmann (p. 376) to an issue " in-4, Paris, An vii. (1799), 

 Plassan (38 pages)." This tract I had searched for for years, and 

 almost despaired of obtaining, when quite by chance I discovered its 

 more exact title, made a fresh attempt, and after several months 

 succeeded in securing a partly uncut copy. Here is the full title, 

 " Discours | d'ouverture et de cloture I du cours | d'liistoire naturelle | 

 Donne clans le Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, | l'an vii de la 

 Republique, | et | Tableaux methodiques | des mammiferes et des 

 oiseaux, | par le C en Lacepede, | De l'lnstitut national de France [7 

 lines of titles, etc.] | a Paris | chez Plassan, Imprimeur-Libraire. | 

 L'an vii de la Republique. | — These " Discours " occupy 5 5 pp., 

 p. 56 is devoted to "Errata," and then follows "Tableau des divisions, 



