History mid Progress of Comparative Anaiomy. 49 



Wth, "which is devoted to land-birds chiefly, which build on the 

 e^oiind, comprehends the ostrich, peacock, bustard, small bus- 

 tard or bustarnelle, thick-knee, fVancolin, domestic cock, guinea 

 fowl, turkey, cock of the wood, grouse, pheasant, various species 

 of partridge, plover and quail, the bunting, crested lark, field lark, 

 calandra, litlark, and snipe. The sixth book contains the history 

 of those birds which find their food indiscriminately in all places ; 

 and under this head Belon arranges the birds of the crow and 

 raven family, the jay, pie, hoopoe, parroquets, parrots, pigeons, 

 and thrushes. The seventh and last is devoted to the history 

 of the nightingales, linnets, grossbeaks, several of the passerine 

 l>irds, and a few of the swallows. It will be seen that the clas- 

 sification of Belon is very imperfect. But it must be remem- 

 bered that he was the fitst scientific ornithologist in modera 

 times, and to him the science was new and unexplored. It 

 must further be observed, that, whatever be the defects of his 

 arrangement, his descriptions are so distinct and accurate, that 

 it is, in general, easy to recognize the particular genera and 

 species understood by the author. That he is mentioned by 

 Portal only for some observations on the mode of making mum- 

 mies, and that his anatomical and ornithological services are al- 

 together omitted, I think can be ascribed only to his work not 

 having been seen by that learned anatomist. 



It is painful to think that this assiduous and enthusiastic ob- 

 server, after escaping the hazards, at that time not inconsider- 

 able, of travelling in Greece, Arabia, India, and Egypt, fell 

 under the dagger of an assassin in the vicinity of Paris in 1564. 



Among the pupils of Gonthier of Andernach, Michael Servet, 

 Ileve2, or Renez, born in 1509 at Villanova in Arragon, holds 

 a conspicuous rank; and he merits a place in this sketch, be- 

 cause there is the strongest reason to believe that, in dissecting 

 the lower animals under the eye of Gonthier, he began to form, 

 in tracing the course of the blood through the cavities of the heart 

 and pulmonary artery, those distinct notions which terminated in 

 his discovery of the small circulation. Servet was born two cen- 

 turies earlier than he ought to have lived, considering the fanati- 

 cism and bigotry of the times. In an evil hour he attempted to 

 discuss the mystery of the Trinity, with the free spirit and the 

 bold hand with which he investigated the structure of material 



Al'RII. JUNE 1831. D 



