18 INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 



particularly in the vicinity of Manado in Celebes. The 

 late M. DuvAUCEL had sent to the Museum of Paris 

 collections from Sumatra; Leschenault, from Java; 

 DiARD, from Cochin-China, from Siam, and Bengal. India 

 has been explored by a great many French travellers, 

 among whom we shall only mention MM. Leschenault, 

 Reynaud, and especially M. Dussumier, who has visited 

 almost every point on the coast of Asia, from the Seychelles 

 and Malabar, to the peninsula of Malacca. MM. Goudot 

 and Sganzin discovered several curious Ophidians in 

 Madagascar, a virgin island in respect to natural history. 

 The stay of the late M. Lalande at the Cape, has furnished 

 to the Museum of Paris most of the reptiles peculiar to 

 that colony ; M. Perrotet has collected some of tliose of 

 Senegal ; and it is continually receiving them from Barbary 

 since the establishment of a French colony on that coast. 

 The same takes place with the reptiles of Eg}7)t, a coun- 

 try which shares, with Brazil, the first place among tliose 

 that attract a great number of travellers. The reptiles 

 collected by Olivier in the Levant are still the only known 

 species from Western Asia. M. Bory de St Vincent 

 has very recently made known those of the Morea, and 

 M. Bibron those of Sicily. 



The literary means which were at my disposal have 

 gi'catly aided my researches. Your rich and beautiful 

 collection of books. Sir, has been always open to me ; so 

 that I have used it as if my own. Professor Geel, libra- 

 rian of the University, has kindly put in my power all 

 the books which I required for my w^ork. 



The favours Avitli which I have been loaded by M. 

 Reinwardt, demand my most gi'ateful acknowledgments. 

 This venerable philosopher, formerly my most valued pre- 

 ceptor, has communicated to me his manuscripts, and the 

 numerous drawings of animals which he had made in 

 India : * without the aid of his choice library I never could 

 have brought my work to a conclusion. He has aided me 

 by his advice ; and I have been fortunate enough, thanks 

 to the friendship with which he has honoured me, to profit 

 often by his knowledge. v 



* I have commenced the publication of some of them in my Abhil- 

 dungen, of which the fix'st number is about to appear. 



