128 Bibliographical Notices, 



brata it necessarily includes a selection only, though its illustrious 

 author holds out a hope, if his life be spared, of hereafter completing 

 the entire Fauna of Italy. In the meantime he has given in the in- 

 troduction to this work an admirably lucid summary of our present 

 state of knowledge of the Italian Vertebrata, which, if translated into 

 the English language, would have considerable interest for British 

 zoologists. From this essay we extract the following tabular result : 



Total of known European Italian Figured in the 



species. species. species. present work. 



Mammalia 1260 180 90 45 



Aves 6000 540 390 35 



Reptilia .... 1300 92 60 60 



Pisces 7000 763 470 181 



Among the animals illustrated in this work, many are new species, 

 whose existence is now for the first time announced to the world. 

 Some of them had indeed been known to previous naturalists, but, 

 from the superficial methods of observation formerly in use, had been 

 referred to analogous species of the North of Europe. It remained 

 for the acute and discriminating eye of the Prince of Canino to de- 

 tect the characters of these species, and to raise them to their true 

 rank, and his work becomes in consequence an important contribu- 

 tion, not to the Italian only, but to the European Fauna. 



It is indeed an interesting fact to find that Italy, separated as it 

 is from the rest of Europe by a barrier of mountains and of seas, and 

 enjoying a climate which excites the envy of the Teutonic race, pos- 

 sesses a fauna which is in a considerable degree peculiar to itself, 

 or is shared only with its sister peninsulas of Spain and Greece. 

 The present work will consequently possess an interest for the 

 scholar as well as the zoologist, as tending to clear up many doubts 

 respecting the specific identity of the animals alluded to by the poets 

 and naturalists of ancient Italy. 



In conclusion we will only add, that the plates of this work, as re- 

 gards both drawing'and colouring, are highly creditable to the Roman 

 artists. The lithographic plates of birds in the earlier numbers are 

 indeed printed rather too black, but the later ones are much im- 

 proved, and are scarcely, if at all, inferior to the best ornithological 

 works which have been produced in Britain. 



Alga maris Mediterranei et Adriatici, observationes in diagnosin spe- 

 cierum et dispositionem generum. Auctore J. G. Agardh. Paris, 

 1842. 



By the kindness of the author we have received this important work, 

 to which we take the earliest opportunity of calling the attention of 

 our readers. Its interest is not merely confined to the geographical 

 details or the elucidation of species and genera, but it contains many 

 new and instructive systematic views, the result of the labours so suc- 

 cessfully prosecuted by the author for some years, relative to the struc- 

 ture and germination of Algae, which bid fair to take off 0b opprobrium 

 long attached to all attempts at the systematic arrangement of these 

 beautiful but puzzling productions, and which perhaps have been 



