MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. C3 



tending. But as the remark might possibly be intended to apply to schools 

 under the superintendence of Government, and supported in part from the 

 public funds, we procured a list of the books supplied to schools by the 

 Committee of Council on Education in England, and sought for such evi- 

 dence as it might supply on the question. We found in the list books 

 treating of Quadrupeds, of Birds, of Reptiles, of Fishes, of Shells, &c. ; 

 Domesticated animals, Wild animals, and the justly popular work of the 

 late Bishop of Norwich, " Familiar History of British Birds." We found 

 also works of a wider range, as, the " Rudiments of Zoology," published 

 by Messrs. Chambers ; " Elements of Natural History," by Mrs. Lee ; a 

 Zoology written expressly for schools, by Gosse ; another by Patterson, &c. 



The books supplied by the Commissioners of National Education in Ire- 

 land likewise afforded satisfactory evidence that the importance of Natural 

 History as a branch of primary education was fully recognised. We 

 learned also that it was, to some extent, a qualification for teachers, ai d 

 formed a part of the examinations to which those of a certain standi ng 

 were subjected. We must, therefore, suppose that Dr. Knox, at the time 

 he wrote this paragraph, was not aware of what had been going on in 

 these countries with reference to Zoology as a branch of school education. 



Dr. Knox has told us, in a passage already quoted, that he has pur- 

 posely avoided " all French idioms." Yet the following phrases remind us 

 strongly of their Gallic origin : — " Some (fishes) lead a sedentary life" — 

 p. 351. "Strongest resemblance with those" — p. 449. "The narrow 

 limits of these lectures do not permit us to consecrate at this moment more 

 time to this subject" — p. 398. In the original the occurrence of warm 

 weather is spoken of in connection with the metamorphosis of certain in- 

 sects, the words employed being " si le temps est chaud" — p. 498 : in the 

 translation, " if the time be warm" — p. 398. 



A more serious fault is, that the French terms are given when a very 

 moderate amount of trouble would have enabled Dr. Knox to give a well 

 known English word. Thus, we have " Manchat" instead of Penguin ; 

 " Echasse d'Europe" for " Stilt ;" " Canard Macreuse" for the " Common 

 Scoter," and " Butor" for " Bittern." All schoolboys are familiar with the 

 appearance of the boat-fly and the whirl-gig ; yet they would scarcely know 

 their old friends by the names Notonecte and Gyrin ; and if they read of 

 M the Courtiliere, which does such mischief," they would assuredly feel 

 puzzled, unless the figure made them understand that the mole cricket was 

 the insect referred to. 



Some mistakes of the press have, unhappily, escaped correction, though 



