251 



PART IL 



REVIEWS. 



Art. I. Bulletin de la Societe ImpSriale des Naturalistes de Moscou* 

 Moscow. 8vo, Plates. Vol. I. for 1829, and No. I. for 1830. ' 



The Society of Naturalists of Moscow was founded in 1805j 

 by Professor Fischer. It was encouraged and fostered by the 

 countenance of the late Emperor Alexander, who not only 

 conferred a title calculated to command respect, but ordered 

 that the letters of the Society to and from its members should 

 traverse the empire free of postage ; and gave an annual grant 

 of money to forward its objects. By this means the Society 

 had succeeded in forming large collections in natural history, 

 the greater part of which were unfortunately destroyed in the 

 conflagration of 1812. This misfortune, however, has been 

 in a great measure repaired, and the successor of Alexander 

 continues the patron, and has increased the annual pecuniary 

 allowance necessary to defray the expenses attending the 

 publication of their proceedings and the formation of their 

 collections. 



To communicate to non-resident members the operations of 

 the Society, and thus to stimulate their zeal, and keep alive 

 their interest in its success, and to secure their proper dis- 

 coveries by an early publication, are stated to be the reasons 

 for the printing of this bulletin, which is gratuitously distri- 

 buted. The plan is, in our opinion, admirably calculated to 

 fulfil its object, and is one which might be beneficially adopted 

 by some learned bodies in our own country. 



The numbers for the years 1829 and 1830 are now before 

 us. They contain many interesting notices of the journeys 

 and discoveries of the naturalists in Russia; descriptions of 

 new genera and species in every kingdom of nature ; abstracts 

 of every paper communicated to the Society; and, occasionally, 

 directions for collecting natural objects, and notices of new 

 publications. The zeal and knowledge of the director are con- 

 spicuous in every pagCj and he seems to be indefatigable in 

 his work of promoting natural sciences. In No. iii., however. 



