^/'iz' J Mathkws and Irhdai.e, " Perry's .ircana." j 



" PERRY'S ARCANA "—AN OVERLOOKED WORK. 

 By Gregory M. Mathews, F.R.S.E., and Tom I red ale. 



(Communicated by F. G. A. Barnard.) 

 IRead before the Field N uluyalists' Club of Victoria, \^th Jan., 1912.) 

 It rarely happens that a work published in monthlj^ parts, of 

 which twenty-one were issued, and dealing with subjects from 

 every class of natural history, entirely escapes the notice of 

 systematists in every branch of science for one hundred years. 

 That such would appear to be the case with the i)eriodical 

 above named suggests that a yesiiuie of its contents will be of 

 interest, especially as many novelties are described and new 

 generic names introduced. 



On the ist January, 1810, appeared the first part of a monthly 

 journal after the style of the well-known " Naturalists' 

 Miscellany " of Shaw and Nodder. It contained four plates, 

 with accompanying letter-press and additional pages of in- 

 teresting matter. Twenty similar i)arts were issued, but as 

 the book now under review does not include the original 

 wrai:>l)ers we cannot give tlie title. ])ut the title-page of the 

 bound parts reads : — 



" Arcana- or The Museum of Natural History : con- 

 taining the most recent discovered objects. Embellished 



with coloured plates, and corresponding descriptions : 



with Extracts relating to Animals. and remarks 



of celebrated travellers ; combining a general survey of 



Nature. London : Printed by (ieorge Smeeton. St. Martin's 



Lane for James Stratford. 112 Holborn Hill. 1811." 



A page of dedication to J. C. Lettsom. Esq., M.D.. &c.. is 

 concluded " l)y George Perry." The first four ])lates are 

 headed "Zoology, PI. I.," " Conchology, PI. I.." "Botany, 

 PI. I.," and ■' Entomology. PI. I." This plan was not implicitly 

 followed, though a siniilai' system of plate division was adopted, 

 the plates deaHng witli diverse sul)jects each month. 



We are acquainted with only lour copies of the work — one in 

 the Natural History Museum. South Kensington : one in the 

 library of the Zoological Society. London ; one in Sweden, 

 and the fourth in our private library at Watford. 



We have carefully collated the work, and as the plates are 

 ail dated in lours we conclude thej' were issued as dated. This 

 conclusion is reinforced by internal evidence, as we note in the 

 letter-jjress to a December plate the following : — " In a former 

 number of the ' Arcana ' (for May) we imparted to our readers 

 a new species ol this curious genus." Upon reference we find 

 the plate referred to is dated May. Again, in the September 

 l)lates a direct reference to the forthcoming publication ol a 

 work is gi\'en. which work did not appear until after January. 

 181 1. Other confirmatory notes we give in the following pages. 



