Nova Acta Academie Nature Curiosorum. 877 
-leucoptera, Gmel. or more properly L. falcirostra, Lath. It is also the 
Crucirostra bifasciata of Brehm’s ‘* Ornis.”’ 
We haye now arrived at Dr. Ritgen’s “ Versuch einer natiirlichen 
'  eintheilung der Amphibien,”’ in which the Amphibia (including the 
- Reptilia) are subjected to a similar process of subdivision with the Birds; 
and apparently also on principles nearly similar, the presence or absence 
and modifications of the external limbs, serving as the basis of the 
classification. We had intended here also'to have given a tabular view 
of the arrangement, but the length to which it would: extend, the: little 
-advantage to be derived from sucha view unaccompanied by any of the 
details on which it is founded, and our dislike to ‘fill our pages unneces- 
sarily with such words (if words they can be called) as 4tryptodontopho- 
lidophides and Bdalsipodobatrachi; induce us to: forbear such ’‘an 
infliction on the patience of our readers. The arrangement of Birds 
already given must therefore serve as a specimen of the authour’s mode 
-of systematizing. He seems, it is true, somewhat more at home in the 
“present branch of his subject, but we doubt ‘much whether he has 
succeeded better in developing the * Natural distribution ;’’ which, it is 
still necessary to repeat, and perhaps ever will be so, can never be attained 
by the study of isolated characters, however important the organs from 
which they are derived. 
Prince Maximilian of Wied’s Memoir “Ueber den Quetz Paleo des 
** Seba,” contains a minute description of the animal which’ he now 
regards as the Uromastyx cyclurus, Merr., a species hitherto resting 
solely on the figure and description given by Seba. The authour also 
gives new distinctive characters of the nearly related genera Uromastyx 
and Tropidurus, a species of which latter discovered by himselfin Brazil, 
Trop. torquatus, he had formerly considered identical with the Quetz 
‘Paleo of Seba. The true Quetz Paleo was found by Dr. Boie on opening 
the body of aspecimen of the Coluber Lichtensteinti, Max., contained 
in a collection of Amphibia transmitted to Leyden from South Brazil. 
This paper is succeded by one communicated by Fr. Boie “ Ueber 
« eine noch nicht beschriebene Art von Cordylus, Gron.,’? containing 
the description of a second species of the genus Cordylus, Daud. It is 
founded on a single specimen in the Leyden Museum, — by the 
authour and his brother Cord. cataphractus. 
