370 Bibliographical Notices. 



with Mr. Cassin, the well-known ornithologist, will take the Birds. 

 The Reptiles will probably be assigned to Prof. Girard or Dr. Hal- 

 lowell, and the other Orders to the naturalists best qualified to deal 

 with them. This is an excellent method — putting the "right man 

 in the right place," instead of setting a man learned in one 'ology to 

 work at another^ according to a plan which we have before now seen 

 adopted in this country. 



The present volume, which is the first of the series, and is entirely 

 from the pen of Professor Baird, gives a general account of all the 

 species of Mammals collected by the various aforesaid expeditions, 

 noticing at the same time, in their proper places, all those known to 

 inhabit the continent of North America. It contains the technical 

 descriptions of the families, genera, and species, remarks necessary 

 to show their places in the system, their synonymy, and " an enu- 

 meration of all the difi^erent specimens collected." Other volumes 

 will be devoted to the zoology of the separate expeditions, and enter 

 more into particulars concerning habits, manners, &c. We beg to 

 call particular attention to the plan of stating the exact locality of 

 every specimen collected here adopted, which is most useful for 

 working out the theory of geographical distribution, — a subject now 

 attracting so much attention. 



" The time is now passed," says a recent distinguished writer on 

 natural history, " when the mere indication of the continent whence 

 an animal had been obtained could satisfy our curiosity ; and the 

 naturalists who have an opportunity of ascertaining closely the par- 

 ticular circumstances under which the animals they describe are 

 placed in their natural home, are guilty of a gross disregard to the 

 interests of science when they neglect to relate them. Our know- 

 ledge of the geographical distribution of animals would be far more 

 extensive and precise than it is now, but for this neglect ; everij new 

 fact relating to the geographical distribution of well-known species 

 is as important to science as the discovery of a new species.''* 



To this volume there are likewise attached indices of the parti- 

 cular localities mentioned, of the authorities referred to, of local 

 names and of scientific names, — all most useful and valuable append- 

 ages to the work. 



The total number of species of Mammalia now recognized by 

 Professor Baird as inhabiting the North American continent amounts 

 to 220, of which he has himself examined specimens, whilst there 

 are 35 others more or less doubtful. This is a vast increase, — no 

 less than 70 species having been added as new to Audubon and 

 Bachman's list, the greater part being the result of these expeditions. 

 This, too, is exclusive of Cetacea, Pinnipedes, and Bats, none of 

 which are touched upon in the present treatise. The first two of 

 these groups can hardly be said to belong to the land-fauna of North 

 America ; but we must allow something for the Chiroptera, to arrive 

 at the true number of North American Mammalia. Major John 

 Leconte in his paper in the seventh volume of the * Proceedings of 

 the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,' which is, we 

 believe, the only modern authority on North American Bats, men- 



