30 MEMOIR OF PALLAS. 



We must not stay to make any remark on his de- 

 scription of a crane, his Grus crepitans^ the golden- 

 breasted trumpeter of Linnaeus ; neither shall we say 

 a word on the insects he describes, species of Onisci^ 

 of a marine Acarus^ and of the Cicada ; nor shall 

 we dwell upon several zoophytes^ actinia^ and pen- 

 natulce^ which he again introduced to notice; but 

 shall add, that to more than any, or than to the 

 whole of the foregoing, inclusive, he directed his 

 attention to the great class Mollrisca^ which our 

 readers will remember immediately succeeds the 

 vertebral animals, and precedes insects ; and includes 

 shell-fish, worms, &c. We repeat, that more than 

 one half of the Miscellanea is devoted to this most 

 interesting and difficult class; and with a degree 

 of acuteness and success which was scarcely inferior 

 to that which attended his researches regarding 

 zoophytes. 



We dwell the longer on this volume, because we 

 conceive that, from a variety of causes, it has not 

 taken that rank in general estimation to which it is 

 fully entitled. One reason of this appears to have 

 been, that the author almost immediately afterwards 

 brought out a second edition, we may call it. of that 

 part of the volume which treated of quadrupeds in 

 his Spicilegia Zoologica^ although much is omitted 

 in this latter which appears in the former : and ano- 

 ther and equally influential cause is to be found in 

 the difficulty of the investigation connected with the 

 moUusca. As our space does not allow us to dilate, 

 we shall simply state, that he dwells at considerable 



