living Specimeii of Siren laceriina. 547 



fished naturalists, however, have disputed the opinions of Gar* 

 den, Ellis, and Linnaeus ; particularly Camper, Pallas, Schnei- 

 der, and De Lacepede. All of these have held, that the siren 

 is not a perfect animal, but merely the larva of some Proteus or 

 Laccrta, which, as it should approach maturity, would throw 

 off the branchia?, and perhaps also develope hind-feet. De La- 

 cepede was the most positive in this opinion ; but he was soon 

 met by another French naturalist, of greater acumen and of 

 still higher name. 



In a memoir read to the Institute of France in 1807, Bai'on 

 G. Cuvier concluded, from a minute anatomical examination, 

 that the siren was the type of a distinct genus, the osseous struc- 

 ture of which differed essentially from that of the salamander or 

 of the proteus ; the skeleton proving that the animal was not 

 destined ever to develope hind-feet, while there appeared no 

 provision for the throwing off of the branchial. Cuvier con- 

 firmed, in short, the opinion which Linnaius had formed from 

 studying its external characters and from Dr Garden'^s account 

 of the habits of the animal 



The controversy has been continued with zeal and spirit. 

 The distinguished Italian naturalists Configliachi and Rusconi, 

 from considering the analogy between the Siren and the larva; 

 of other Batrachia, have disputetl the conclusions of Cuvier, 

 and still regard it as an imperfect animal. Among other arguv/ 

 ments, they adduce the following, which shall be quoted in their 

 own words : " Before this canal (the nostril) is so formed (as to 

 open into the mouth), such larvae are unable to respire atmos- 

 pheric air, and if taken out of the water they soon die ; and, 

 therefore, guided by analogy, we incline to beUeve that to the 

 siren the same thing ought to happen ♦." (i 



That excellent zoologist our countryman Dr Fleming of Flisk 



• See account of Configliachi and Rusconi's Memoir, b^ Daniel Ellis, 

 Esq., in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, vol. v. p. 106. et seq. The oii. 

 ginal passage runs thus : ^^ Sin tanto f he queslo canale non tn ^ formato** (in 

 such a manner that its posterior extremity may open into the mouth), '• Ic 

 larve delle salamandrc non possono respirare Taria atmosfcrica in mode ni 

 uno, e (luindi sc vengono tratte all' asciutto, si muojono ; per lo chc aol, gui- 

 tlati scmprc ilalla analogia, incUniamo a credere che alia strena, le cul narici 

 " ne pcnetrent point dans la bouche," debba pure accadere lo stcsso."— ZW 

 Pi'oko aiiguino di Laurmi't MoiHigrdJia ; Favin, \ni{), p. 104. 



