INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 17 



Al. Lefebre, rendered me important services. It is almost 

 useless to say, that the Museum of Paris offered me the 

 most ample collection. This establishment, during many 

 years the seat of the natural sciences, rivals still, in the 

 number of its specimens, most other collections. All the 

 world flocks to be there instructed ; because the friends of 

 science there experience the most liberal reception. I 

 should not speak of this liberality, so often and so justly 

 vaunted, if personal obligations did not demand it as a 

 duty. I had the happiness to be connected for several 

 years with Professors Blainville and Valenciennes ; on 

 my arrival in Paris M. Dumeril also honoured me by his 

 kindness ; and I found a frank and sincere friend in 

 M. BiBRON, a zealous and accomplished naturalist, and a 

 rival of my Herpetological labours. All these gentlemen 

 concurred to render my stay in Paris in the highest degree 

 useful ; the numerous materials which the Museum of the 

 Jardin des Piantes affords were put at my disposal, and 

 they readily lent me, and allowed me to take to Holland, 

 all the unpublished specimens, or those which I was de- 

 sirous of submitting to a new examination. I have reviewed, 

 in conjunction with M. Bibron, at the Jardin des Piantes, the 

 whole of that collection of reptiles ; and this inspection led 

 to propositions of exchange, which cannot fail to be very 

 useful to both establishments. Ours has been enriched, 

 by this exchange, with objects from countries with which 

 we have no communication, but which have been visited 

 by French travellers, as Pennsylvania, Carolina, and New 

 Orleans, countries from which MM. Lesueur Milbert, 

 Bosc, Leconte, Barabino, and others, have brought their 

 productions to the Museum of Paris. The Antilles have 

 been explored by MM. Plee, L'Herminier, Bicord, Poey, 

 &c. ; Cayenne, by Leschenault ; Brazil, by Langsdorf, 

 Vauthier, Lalande, Aug. St Hilaire ; Paraguay, by 

 D'Orbigny: this last traveller has also made a fine collec- 

 tion of the reptiles of Chile, a country also visited by MM. 

 Lesson and Garnot, and by Gay. New Holland has 

 afforded several new species, discovered by Peron, Lesson, 

 and especially by Quoy and Gaimard ; others have been 

 collected, in the last expeditions round the world, in New- 

 Guinea, in Waigiou, the Philippines, the Mariannes, and 



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