MEMOIR OF PALLAS. 27 



teen plates, as its title Miscellania Zoologica would 

 lead us to infer, a great variety of subjects are 

 brought under review. The author particularly 

 describes several species of vertebral animals new 

 to science, and a number of invertebral, not wholly 

 disregarding either insects or plants. He was en- 

 gaged, as he states in his preface, for several years 

 in its preparation, and was induced to undertake 

 it from the great attentions and facilities he had 

 experienced in Holland.* 



Though we must not attempt any thing like an 

 extended analysis, yet we cannot pass by this inte- 

 resting volume without a few remarks. It contains 

 a minute description of a species of bat, concerning 

 which family Pallas remarks, much was required 

 at the time to perfect the history. From its resem- 

 blance to the shrew-mouse, he named it Vespertilio 

 soricinus ; it is the Glosophaga soricina of systema- 

 tists, G. of Pallas of Desmarest. It was not more 

 than two inches in length, but was in many re- 

 spects remarkable. It had been procured both in 

 Surinam and the West Indies ; and yet, he remarks, 

 its natural history was quite a blank. We need 

 scarcely remark, that our author, both with pen 

 and pencil, amply supplied this deficiency. Though 

 many species are now included in the genus, yet no 



* In Belgium triennio fere abhinc advena summa humam- 

 tate a curiosis et ScientisB patronis excerptus fui. Ditissima 

 abinde, quibus Batavse urbes gloriantur, rerum naturalium 

 musea in hoc genus studii ardentissirao mihi liberaliter patu- 

 €runt, ^ ^ 



