74- Natural History in London, 



almost unknown Flora of those remote regions, has proved eminently 

 successful. The travellers have collected 1600 species of plants, of which 

 nearly 500 are new j so that Professor Ledebuhr intends to publish a Flora 

 Altdica. Geography, statistics, zoology, and mineralogy were not neglected 

 in the course of this excursion ; the narrative of which is expected to be 

 highly interesting, and will be published, as we are informed, first in Eng- 

 lish. (For. Quart. Rev.^ February.) 



Natural History/ of Siberia. — At the commencement of this month,Hum- 

 boldt, the great naturalist and traveller, proposes to undertake a journey 

 to Siberia, for the purposes of scientific research ; to which object the Em- 

 peror Nicholas has contributed, by directing that every facility be afforded 

 to the philosopher in his meritorious pursuits. {Athenceum.) 



SWEDEN. 



Three Species of Cat are described by Professor Thunberg, as inhabiting 

 Scandinavia. These he names the -Lynx Xupus, L. Catus, and L. Tulpes, 

 that is, the jFelis /upulinus, borealis, and vulpinus of Linnaeus. (Bull, 

 des Sciences NaturelleSy Fev.) 



NORTH AMERICA. 



Ornithology. — A splendid work on this subject is publishing at Philadel- 

 phia, by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, in folio numbers. It is the continu- 

 ation of an equally splendid work by the late zealous and indefatigable 

 Wilson. The birds figured by Bonaparte have, for the most part, been 

 obtained from the Rocky Mountains ; and the first volume, which was 

 completed in 1825, contains nine plates, on which 22 land birds are figured, 

 and 106 pages of letter-press, in which they are described. The same 

 author has published a very useful and necessary appendix to Wilson's work, 

 e\i\\i\e(!if Observations on the Nomenclature of Wilson's Ornithology. Taking 

 these works, in connection with the surpassingly splendid Birds of America 

 of Mr. Audubon, the riches of the new world, in this department, promise 

 to be fully and favourably made known to the old. 



The Remains of a stupendous Crocodile were seen near New Orleans by 

 Mr. Bullock. The aninial must have been at least 150 ft. long, for Mr. 

 Bullock measured the right side of the under jaw, and found it to be 21 ft. 

 along the curve, and 4 ft. 6 in. wide. (Bullock's Travels.) 



Art. II, Natural History in London, 



The British Museum was opened to the public in 1759, with the exten- 

 sive collection of the celebrated Sir Hans Sloane. The additions it has 

 since received by purchase and donation are numerous and extensive. 

 The history of this institution is already sufficiently well known, and there- 

 fore we propose merely to notice from time to time such additions as may 

 be made to the natural history department, or new regulations respecting 

 the admission of the public to view or study the various collections of 

 natural objects and the books treating of them. The library of the late 

 Sir Jose'ph Banks is the last grand addition that was made to the natural 

 history department, having been removed thither in November, 1827. 



Linnean Society. — This Society was founded in 1788. At its opening a 

 discourse, published in the first volume of the Society's Transactions, was 

 read by the president, the late Sir J. E. Smith, on the rise and progress of 

 natural history, in which the peculiar objects of this institution are pointed 

 out. These may be summed up as attention to natural history in general, 

 a particular regard to the productions of the British Isles, and a strict 

 attention to the laws and principles of Linngeus, so far as they have been 

 found to be good. The Society have just completed their 15th volume of 

 Transactions, and the number of members how exceeds 600. 



