E.xpedition to New Holland, 305 



demnify lis for the loss of a part of the plants which had 

 been transplanted and carefully arranged in a hundred boxes, 

 each of which contained fifteen or sixteen live plants. In 

 the last place, an herbal of 1500 species, the specimens of 

 ■\vl)ich multiplied, and in good preservation, attbrd to bo- 

 tani->ts the means of enlarging this part of the science. 



The European nation, who inhabit a point of New Hol- 

 land, niav, however, rival us in researches respecting the 

 vegetable kingdom, to which several of our men of science 

 devoted themselves ; but in general they have neglected the 

 department of birds, of which at present we possess a very 

 numerous series, begun by the unfortimate Mauge, en- 

 riched with bonie articles by Baudin and Levillain, but for 

 which we are in particular indebted to the assiduous care of 

 the young Pcron and Lesucur, inseparable friends, who 

 mutually assisted each other. The former, who remained 

 the only zoologist of the expedition, did not attend merely 

 to physical and anatomical observations, to which he at 

 first more especially devoted himself; he embraced also 

 with zeal the other parts of zoology. Lcsueur, charged 

 only with delineating animals, thought it his duty to add 

 to this function that of collector : and Peron acknowledges 

 that he was much indebted to this faithful companion, who 

 sometimes explored the coasts or penetrated into the coun- 

 try with him ; sometimes remained on board the vessel, 

 prepared and made drawings of the objects collected by his 

 friend, to shorten his labour and enable him to engage in 

 new researches. The number of animals they brought 

 home is considerable, and many of them arc absolutely 

 new. Peron wrote descriptions on the spot of a great 

 number of them, according to a new and uniform method, 

 which embraces the organization, manners or habits, names 

 and usaocs of the country. This collection contains some 

 of those Bhell-fish which form the principal nourishment of 

 some of the inhabitants of Van Diemen's Land ; a nume- 

 rous series of hololhuria, marine animals, which in India 

 arc accounted delicious food, and for that reason are a va- 

 luable article of conunerce ; various quadrupeds, which 

 niight be easily naturalized in France; and in particular 

 several species of kangoroos, whose fur is good, and their 

 flesh excellent ; the phascolome, also good to eat, and which 

 might be easily domesticated; the cassoary of New Hol- 

 land, alive in the museum, the flesh of which, participating 

 in that of the turkey and pig, might be agreeable food ; the 

 l;Jack swan, existing in the museum, which, on account of 



\'.;1. '20. No. 80. Jan. 1805. U its 



