MEMOIR OF SIR J. G. DALYELL. xlix 



Animals of Scotland," will be found replete with the most interesting 

 revelations. 



Although Sir John neither aspired to be the founder of a new system, 

 nor even the discoverer of a new genus, his observations abundantly prove 

 the errors of others in this respect. He regarded himself merely as one 

 of the pioneers — one of the accumulators of facts — in aid of the great un- 

 dertaking yet to be accomplished — the task of correcting and amplifying 

 the existing Sj/sicma Naturo'. It seems to have been a special object 

 with Sir John to impress the study of the living animal — with a view to 

 its classification — rather than that of its anatomical formation ; and he 

 never fails to show the advantage of the one over the other. He proves, 

 in short, the impossibility of anatomical classification of the lower ani- 

 mals — the characteristics of most of them being so entirely different in a 

 living and a dead state. We have no doubt that this, his last and favou- 

 rite work, will be hailed as enthusiastically as was his " Rare Animals of 

 Scotland ;" and we trust that every indulgence will be conceded on ac- 

 count of the circumstances under which the two concluding volumes have 

 been put to press. So far back as January 1851, Sir John began to fear, 

 from his declining health, the improbability of his being able to finish his 

 elaborate work. About the middle of May of that year he requested 

 Professor Fleming to see the second volume through the press, which the 

 Professor kindly did, besides wading through a portion of the natural 

 history of the present volume. But the completion of it was a very 

 difficult task. Having been unfortunately cut off before the text was 

 clearly wi-itten out. Sir John's note-books had to be resorted to, for there 

 were ten or fifteen beautiful drawings found in his repositories, ready for 

 the engraver. Many acknowledgments of gratitude are due to Professor 

 Alhnan for his goodness in assisting to compare the plates with the text ; 

 also to Mr J. Davies, a very clever naturalist, recommended by the Pro- 

 fessor. At the same time, wanting the accurate eye of the author himself, 

 it is possible that there may be defects ; but these, we believe, will be 

 found chiefly of a clerical or typographical character, reflecting in no man- 

 ner on the facts and observations recorded. 



It may readily be conceived that, to accomplish so much for litera' 

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