148 FOURTH REPORT — 1834. 



Crtistaceomm et Insectorum by the same aiithor, Broiigiiiart's 

 EssaicVime Classification NutureUe des Reptiles, Savigny's J/e- 

 moires snr les ^■inimau.v sans T''ert^bres, Lamoiiroux's Histoire 

 des Pull/piers CoraUighies Flexihhs*, (not to dwell upon a rich 

 series of memoirs in the Aimales dn Museum, Journal de Phy- 

 sique,hc., byGeoflfroy, Fred.Cuvier,Blainville, Peron, Lessuem*, 

 and others,) all appeared before the publication of the JR^gne 

 Animal, and not only contributed greatly to the further illustra- 

 tion of the natural system, but furnished manj' valuable hints to 

 Cuvierhimself whilst engaged in that undertaking. England, we 

 fear, has but little to produce as the result of her labours in zoo- 

 logy during the same period. Our countrymen were too much 

 riveted to the principles of the Linnjean school to appreciate 

 the value of the natural system. Although there were some good 

 descriptive works in different departments, and a few excellent 

 observers, amongst whom Montagu will ever hold a distinguished 

 place, there was in general but little attention paid to structure 

 with a view to elucidate the natural affinities of animals. The 

 most remarkable, if not the only exception is undoubtedly to be 

 found in Kirby's Monographia Apuni Anglice, a work which, 

 though exclusively devoted to the illustration of a single Linnaean 

 genus of insects, presents a model for naturalists in all depart- 

 ments, from the profoimd views of its vei*y illustrious author. 

 There were few, ho^vever, who followed up the path which was 

 thus opened to them. There was a general repugnance to everj'- 

 thing that appeared like an innovation on the system of Linnaeus; 

 and for many years subsequently to the publication of the above 

 work, which ajjpeared as far back as in 1802, zoology, which 

 was making rapid strides in France and other parts of the Con- 

 tinent, remained in this country nearly stationary. It is mainly 

 to Dr. Leach that we are indebted for having opened the eyes of 

 English zoologists to the importance of those principles which 

 had long guided the French naturalists. Whilst he greatly con- 

 tributed to the advancement of the natural system by his own 

 researches, he gave a turn to those of others, and made the first 

 step towards weaning his countrymen from the school they had so 

 long adhered to. The following are the principal works which re- 

 sulted from Dr. Leach's labours in zoology about the period of time 

 referred to. In 1813, he published the article Crustaceology 

 in the Edinburgh Encyclojicedia, in which he gave the system 

 of Latreille, with some slight modifications. In 1814, he gave, 

 in a paper to the Linntean Society, " A tabular View of the ex- 



* In the above list I have not included the splendid volumes by Desmarest, 

 Vieillot, Audebert, &c., the object of which was more to illustrate species by 

 coloured plates than to treat of their systematic arrangement. 



