348 Report of the Traniactions of the Academy of 



been retained*. Dr. Pceppig's Capromi/s prehensilis is a va- 

 luable addition to our knowledge of those animals which were 

 by Linne all united under the genus Cavy ; but it has been, 

 by some naturalists, supposed that Dr. Pceppig's animal ought 

 to have constituted a new genus, distinct from the Capromys. 



Ml'. Cuvier, whose name bears with it so much weight 

 in science, had, in his Regne Animal, divided the Lamantins 

 into two species; thereby reducing the number of species, and 

 cleariyg this subject of the perplexities in which it had been 

 involved by the partial observations of former writers. The 

 object of Dr. Harlan's communication is to show that the 

 Manatus senegalensis, which had been supposed to exist only 

 on the shores of Senegalj may also be an inhabitant of our 

 territory. The specimens which Dr. Harlan received, and from 

 which he prepared his descriptions, wei'e, on the most accurate 

 comparison, found to possess most of the characters by which 

 Mr. Cuvier had distinguished the Senegal from the American 

 Lamantin. Dr. Harlan has therefore arrived at the conclu- 

 sion, that the Manati found on the coast of North and South 

 America belong to two distinct species. Having ascertained 

 this fact, he proceeds to state, that should further investigation 

 and examination of the living animal from Florida prove it 

 possessed of some external characters distinct from those of 

 the Manatus semgalcnsis, then this animal will belong to a new 

 species; for which Dr. Harlan suggests, as an appropriate name, 

 that of M. latirostris. 



Aves. — This department of zoology, which had hitherto oc- 

 cupied but a small space in the Journal of the Academy, has 

 assumed a very interesting aspect from the labours of our new- 

 associate Mr. Charles Bonaparte, who is engaged in esta- 

 blishing a comparison between the observations of our cele- 

 brated naturalist Wilson and those of later European writers. 

 This comparison will doubtless be highly beneficial to science, 

 and will entitle Mr. Bonaparte to the thanks of all ornitholo- 

 gists, whether European or American. The communications 

 which he has made to the Academy during the present year 

 are as follows: 1st, "An account of four species of Stormy 

 Petrels." 2iul. " On a new species of Duck, described by 

 Wilson as the same with the Anasfulignla ol' Europe." And 

 3cl, " Observations on the nomenclature of Wilson's Ornitho- 



In the first of these, the author has investigated the Stormy 



* Unles^;, indeed, as would appear from the observations of Mr. J. E. 

 Gray, Mr. Desniaiest's aniiDal be different from that described by Mr. Sa_v. 



Petrelsj 



