of this Magazine, -^ 323 



publication of it could be refused. But the same principle of 

 common justice which authorised its insertion, equally au- 

 thorised the insertion of every other paper published in that 

 journal, against which this delinquent — if to defend one's 

 opinions is to be esteemed delinquency — has vented his ran- 

 cour. Let us enumerate them in order. Immediately follow- 

 ing Mr. Swainson's paper, appeared a reply to it by Mr. Gray. 

 (Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 523. art. 64.) After some interval was 

 inserted a paper of mine, entitled, and deviating in no respect 

 from the title, " Reply to some Observations in the Diction- 

 naire des Sciences Naturelles, upon the newly characterised 

 Groups of the Psittacidae." (Vol. ii. p. 91. art. 11.) Next in 

 order appeared a " Reply to some Observations of M. Virey 

 in the Bulletin des Sciences Naturelles, 1825," by my ever- 

 valued friend, Mr. William S. MacLeay. (vol. iv. p. 47.) 

 Shortly afterwards was published a letter, by the same author, 

 to J. E. Bicheno, Esq., in examination of his paper " On 

 Systems and Methods " in the Linnean Transactions, (vol. iv. 

 p. 401.) And here I must deviate a little from my purpose, 

 to state my own conduct on the occasion of this last publi- 

 cation. Living on terms of friendly intercourse with Mr. 

 Bicheno, and unwilling to bring before the public any docu- 

 ment which he might in any degree consider as calculated to 

 wound his feelings, immediately on receiving the paper in 

 question, and before I laid it before the board of editors, I 

 submitted it to his inspection, and obtained his full sanction 

 for publishing it without restriction. I have at this moment 

 before me the reply of that gentleman to my communication 

 on the subject; and with pleasure would I transcribe it, but 

 that it contains remarks upon the course I had taken too 

 complimentary for me to repeat. It has been my endeavour 

 throughout life to act with manliness, openness, and candour 

 to all ; and I know not how I could better have maintained 

 those qualities than by the course 1 thus pursued. The only 

 papers remaining, that partake in any degree of a controversial 

 nature are, Mr. MacLeay's, on " The (JTstrus of Mr. Bracy 

 Clark " (vol. v. p. 18.), a paper written in answer to an attack 

 made upon him, by that well known veterinarian, in the Liin- 

 nean Transactions ; and a " Notice respecting some species of 

 Mammalia" referred to by Dr. Horsfield and myself in a 

 previous number of the journal ; a defensive paper also, con- 

 taining a reply to some observations on our labours by M. 

 Lesson, in the Bulletin des Sciences Naturelles. 



Now, Sir, the whole of these papers are replies to what the 

 authors considered injurious observations on their scientific 

 labours. If controversy is to be reprobated in science, the 



Y 2 . - 



