3<)4 French National Insiituie. 



last has a rescnvblance to the corvvs nudttSy and to the ff)r- 

 vus calvvs ; hui they difl'tT suOlciently to form three di- 

 stinct genera, wiiich M. GeoflVoy establishes by the nanie^ 

 of cephalop/trus^ being his new species, gymnoderns, which 

 he apphcs to the coruus luidus, aud gymnoccpJialus, by 

 which he distinguishes the a/r/7/5 calvus. 



The cephalopierus is black, with a very high crest, which 

 falls forwards upon the beak, and a kind of dewlap, also 

 covered with feathers. The feathers of both these parts 

 are of a metallic violet hue. 



The second bird, which like the above is al«o from Mex- 

 ico, had been d-cscribed but inipcrrecfly by Marcfyrave un- 

 der the name of cariama. M. GeolVroy from this descrip- 

 tion had considered it as closely connected with the agami ; 

 but now that it is to be seeii in the collection of our Mu- 

 seum of Natural History he regards it as forming a distinct 

 genus, to which he gives the Latin name of 7nicrodacfyli/s, 



Tortoises have also been one of the subjects of M. Geof- 

 frov's researches. Having observed in Eirypt the tortoise 

 of the Nile described by l^orskahl, he was induced to fonn 

 a distinct genus, of all the other tortoises which like thd? 

 latter have the extremity of the sides at liberty and a soft 

 calipash. He calls them irionix, and has added several new 

 species to these already known. M. Brongniart in bis 

 trrcat work on reptiles had joined the latter to his Emydes, 

 observing always the characters which distinguished them 

 from the other species of this genus of which the calipash 

 is complete and covered with scales. M. GeoffVoy, in ad- 

 dition, joins to the genus C//e/>/s of M. Dumeril, the tor- 

 toise descrilx-'d by Bariram under the name of tortoise with 

 large soft scales, and disco veu.d by this traveller in North 

 Anrerica. 



These animals present a striking example of the progress 

 of zoology oF late yeais. The number of tortoises known 

 20 years ago was scarcely 30, and now it has been at least 

 doubled. This among other circumstances has been com- 

 municated to us by a work of M. Sweiger, in which he has 

 undertaken to give a general monographv of all the tor- 

 toises. This fine work, accompanied by precise descriptions 

 of a very extensive synonymy and embellished with figures 

 excellently drawn bv M. Oppel, has been submitted to the 

 in!>pccti(m of the Institute, and highly approved of. 



The class of fishes has also been enriched with many 

 new species. Messrs. Hisseau and Delaroche, v»'ho have 

 particularly directed their attention to this branch of zoo- 

 losy, have coinn)uniealed iheij obsi^rvations to u»» 'J'hose 



