1820.] Physical Science during the Year 1819. 105 



Antilopid^, or Antilopes, having furcate horns, under the 

 name Antilocapra, the type of which is the Antilope Ameri- 

 cana of Blainville. 



Desmarets, an ingenious French naturahst, has shown the 

 opinion of Cuvier respecting the situation of Gmehn's Sorex 

 cristatus to be erroneous. Cuvier referred it to the genus 

 Talpa (Mole), from which it differs most essentially in having 

 no canine teeth. The animal in question was referred to a new- 

 genus by Ilhger, and was named by him Condylura, to which 

 the following character is given by Desmarets. Incisor teeth in 

 the upper jaw, 6 ; in the lower, 4 ; canine teeth, none ; grinders 

 in the upper jaw, 14 ; in the lower jaw, 16.— (Journ. de Phys. 

 ii. 89, p. 225.) 



In the same volume, Blainville has divided the Mammalia 

 uno"uiculata into two sections, which we have not yet found time 

 to examine. 



Class II, Cetacea. 



Lacepede, from figures, has described some new species of 

 Cetacea, which we think not worthy of being recorded. 



Class III, MONOTREMATA. 



Fresh evidence respecting the distinctive characters of this 

 class has been obtained, and will be published in our next 

 annual report. 



Class IV, AvES. 



In the Annals of Nature, No. I. Rahnesque has described four 

 new species of birds : 1. Milvus Leucomelas ; 2. Ardea Pha'io- 

 ma; 3. Charadrius viridis ; 4. Hirundo phenicephala. 



Temminck's new edition of his Manuel d'Ornithologie is now 

 printing in Paris, 



Dr. Horsfeld's interesting paper on the birds of Java will 

 most probably appear in the next volume of the Transactions of 

 the Linnean Society. 



Class V, Reptilia. 



Rafinesque has given in the Annals of Nature, No. I, descrip- 

 tions of what he supposes may be three new species of 

 Crotalus, the generic name of which he changes to Crota- 

 LURus, without assigning the least reason for this alteration. 



Of Coluber, he likewiee gives four new species, and one of 

 Anguis. 



The great Sea Snake of America has been discovered to be no 

 more than a great Tunny ; and its supposed young, forming 

 the genus Scoliophis, of Rafinesque, has been proved to be 

 nothing but a monster of the common ringed-snake of America 

 (which is allied to our coluber natrix), having distorted vertebrae I 



A new species of Scincus has been discovered to inhabit Mary- 

 land, by .1. Gilliains. 



Sir Everaid Home has given another paper on the fossil 



