148 Bibliographical Notices, 



the books out of which this little new one comith are of too recent 

 a date to be pronounced old. The volume consists of four chapters, 

 of which the first is a republication of that portion of the author's 

 " Philosophy of Zoology," which treated of molluscous animals ; 

 which again was a reprint from an article in Brewster's Edinburgh 

 Encyclopaedia. Chapter II. is not in the " Philosophy," with the 

 exception of five or six pages ; but the matter in its other pages is 

 so familiar to us, that we feel pretty sure of having before read them 

 in some other book : they are probably from the article " Concho - 

 logy" in Brewster's Encyclopaedia, or from the Supplement to the 

 Encyclopaedia Britannica, or from both. Chapter III. is also from 

 the fruitful " Philosophy," with one or two trifling interpolations* 

 amendments, and omissions : and Chapter IV. is reprinted from the 

 Supplement to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, whether verbatim or 

 not w r e cannot pronounce decidedly, but nearly so. Surely the ma- 

 terial must be good that allows so frequent a transfusion ! It may 

 be so, and the article may, for all that w r e know, come up to that 

 standard of excellence by which encyclopaedists measure their con- 

 tributions ; but this we are certain of, that as a separate " Treatise" 

 on molluscous animals it is very defective in every point of view. 

 The beginner w 7 ill read the book with advantage, because the manner 

 in which the subject is treated is a good one, — anatomy and physi- 

 ology going hand in hand with the systematist and ceconomist ; — 

 but the further advanced conchologist will find it no more than a con- 

 venient and cheap collection of articles he has previously studied. 



The Cabinet Cyclopaedia ; conducted by the Rev. D. Lardner. Natural 

 History. Animals in Menageries. By William Swrinson, Esq., 

 F.R.S., L.S. 8vo. London, 1838. 



The subject to which this volume is devoted, our author tells us, 

 " is one in which little novelty can be expected ;" and w T e must con- 

 fess that in all respects it scarcely comes up to the usual standard of 

 the volumes in Dr. Lardner's Cyclopaedia. The tw r o first parts are 

 a compilation neatly enough executed, but still a compilation in al- 

 most every line, without the least pretence to novelty ; and it is a 

 pity that here and there an original remark should be introduced on 

 the unscientific character of the works of Fred. Cuvier, or upon the 

 " careless and ungrammatical" style of that of the venerable Latham, 

 especially as such ample use is made of both the works. These do 

 not contribute to the value of Mr. Swainson's volume, neither do 

 they add to the pleasure of most of its readers. The ornithology of 

 the latter, though not possessing the lucid arrangement which may 



