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Notice of British Naturalists. 167 
turned this knowledge to a good account. When he entered up- 
on his profession, although his time was chiefly occupied with 
that, he yet found or made leisure not to neglect that which had 
afforded him so much satisfaction in his youth; and what time 
he could spare was spent in this absorbing pursuit. While enga- 
ged in publishing his work on Oology, he made a tour through 
Norway, for the purpose of procuring the eggs of such birds as 
are only migratory in Great Britain, and added several important 
facts to those with which we were already acquainted. : 
Although, as we have seen, Pennant had figured and described 
Many of the British fishes, Mr. Donovan had given about one half 
of the species, and Mr. Jonathan Couch, of Cornwall, had estab- 
lished a high reputation as the Ichthyologist of that county ; yet no 
one had hitherto treated this branch as one altogether national ; 
and this is the more surprizing, when we consider that this 
country is entirely surrounded by the sea, that these animals form 
avery important part of food, and that the coast is comparatively 
Very limited in extent, and unchangeable in climate. 
For many years Mr. Wittiam Yarrewt, of London, had been 
forming a collection of Fishes; and his possessing the advantage 
of being able to search the London markets, put him in possession 
of all such species as are more common, and many of the rarer ones. 
In 1836 appeared the first number of his ‘ History of British 
Fishes,” which is completed in two thick octavo volumes. While 
this work is altogether popular, and the price moderate, as a scien- 
tifie production it is invaluable ; and it contains all that is known 
Upon the subject, including a great variety of curious, and origi- 
nal information. It is printed in the same shape and style as 
Bewick’s works, and each species is illustrated by a wood cut, 
€xecuted in a manner perhaps unsurpassed in this art. ae 
Mr. Yarrell is still alive, and is well known, equally for his ur- 
banity of manners, his connection with science, his very valuable — 
Ptlvate collection in some branches of natural history, and his pa- 
Pers in the Linnzan and other Transactions. He is now engaged 
in publishing, in the same form as his volumes on fishes, a gen- 
eral work on British birds. 
About the same time Dr. Brut, of London, published in like 
*m a volume on the ‘ British Quadrupeds’ which includes all 
i are known, with a great variety of information concerning 
mh. y 
