2 1 6 Journal of Travel and N'atia-al History 



But we must hasten on to what deserves more of our space than 

 we have left for it — Mr Chapman's " Contributions to Natural 

 History." His editor, in the preface, anticipates that this ^^'ill prove 

 one of the most attractive parts of the book, and in one sense he 

 is right. If he speaks of his contributions as afield Naturalist, we 

 heartily endorse his opinion — if he speaks of his work as a closet 

 Naturalist, we are bound to say we cannot. Mr Chapman wants 

 the necessary grounding and special education to fit him for deal- 

 ing with natural history as a scientific Naturalist. He does not 

 sufficiently know what has been already done \ things which strike 

 him as remarkable, and which are recorded as such, are familiar 

 to the merest tyro in the schools. When a doctor reads this book, 

 and comes to the information that, after Chapman recovered from 

 a fever, the cuticle nibbed off his whole body — (vol. ii., p. 283) — 

 he will need no ghost to tell him that the author is not a medical 

 man ; so, when a Naturalist finds him recording the discovery of a 

 trap-door spider's nest as a great curiosity-^(vol. i., p. 38) — and 

 speaking with interest of the surveying caterpillars standing on the 

 points of their tails — (vol. ii., p. 294) — he at once knows that he is 

 not dealing with a trained Naturalist. I\Ir Chapman has all the 

 natural qualifications for a first-rate Naturalist, but he wants the 

 reading and training, without which it is impossible to perform 

 the work of the scientific Naturalist — and yet he attempts this. 

 In ignorance of the points requiring attention, and of the characters 

 on which specific differences are based (or if not ignorance, at 

 least in defiance of them), he gives descriptions of new species, 

 and amendments of old ones, which, with all the desire in the 

 world to speak well of them, we cannot, in consistency with our 

 duty as an honest critic, refrain from condemning; when we men- 

 tion that there are descriptions of mammals under native names, 

 without indication whether they are new or not, and without a 

 word as to their dentition, their feet, or anything but their colour, 

 we have said enough. The editor, in his desire to do justice to 

 Mr Chapman's labours, has shewn a want both of courage and 

 discretion in not suppressing the whole of his attempts at descrip- 

 tion. It would have been an advantage to all parties had he done 

 so, and, instead, given us more of his observations on the habits 

 and pecuharities of the animals themselves. It is there that Mr 

 Chapman shines — as an observant field Naturalist, he is every- 

 thing that could be wished. The whole book teems with instances 

 which we long to adduce. Some we must give, and we think that 



