Jones's Animal Kingdom. 633 



" If the reader, 1 ' says the authoress in her preface, " partake 

 the enthusiasm of the writer towards the whole leafy race, he 

 will at least approve her subject: for the manner in which 

 she has handled it she craves his indulgence." 



CURRENT NUMBERS OF WORKS, 



PREVIOUSLY NOTICED. 



Outline of the Animal Kingdom. — Part II. — Professor 

 Rymer Jones. — The contents include the history of the Poly- 

 gastrica and Acephala, and some of the parenchymatous 

 Entozoa. The observations of Ehrenberg upon the digestive 

 apparatus and the disposition of the viscera in the Poly gas- 

 trica, are disputed in toto, and his views upon this subject 

 styled " imposing from their completeness." The author tells 

 us that he failed to detect the arrangement depicted in the 

 drawings of the illustrious German Professor, after the most 

 patient and long-continued efforts. He does not, however, 

 deny the existence of an intestine with appended stomachs, 

 (as described by Ehrenberg), simply because he was not able 

 to detect it, but urges reasons entirely independent of the re- 

 sults attending his own microscopical experiments. All that 

 Professor Jones has advanced upon' this subject, is espe- 

 cially worthy of attention. So far as the functions of diges- 

 tion and assimilation are concerned, he considers the organi- 

 zation of the Polygastrica essentially the same as that of the 

 common fresh water polypus, [Hydra viridis). 



The illustrations to the chapter on the Acephala are nu- 

 merous and beautifully executed. We observe that the air- 

 bladder of the Physalus is stated to have two apertures, 

 through which the air readily escapes upon pressure. Now, 

 Mr. George Bennett remarks, in the ' Proceedings of the Zo- 

 ological Society' for 1837, page 43, that after the examina- 

 tion of an immense number of specimens, he could never 

 succeed in expelling any portion of the included air, without 

 a puncture being previously made in the bladder. He also 

 states that even when the bladder had entirely collapsed, the 

 animal still floated on the surface. 



We may sincerely say that the contents of the second part 

 of this work have tended to augment rather than diminish the 

 highly favourable impression which a perusal of the preced- 

 ing number led us to form of the author's qualifications for 

 ably carrying into effect the objects set forth in his prospec- 

 tus : whilst an evident familiarity with the recorded labours 



