292 Bibliographical Notice. 



— is also highly worthy of the attention of naturalists in general, 

 and aifords Prof. Agassiz " a welcome opportunity of testing the 

 principles of classification discussed in the first part." 



Those who have paid special attention to the difficult order of 

 Reptilia of which it treats, will be best able to judge whether the 

 author has so carried out his principles of classification as to produce 

 a more perfect arrangement of these animals than former writers on 

 the same subject. But there can be no question as to the great 

 additions made by this treatise to our knowledge of this class of 

 beings, particularly as regards their embryonic condition and their 

 progressive growth. The territory of the United States of America, 

 much better provided with Reptiles and Amphibians of every Order 

 than Europe, is particularly fortunate in the case of the Testudinata. 

 In place of the few straggling species of Land-Turtles which appear 

 in the southern parts of Europe, more than twenty land and fresh- 

 water Tortoises have long since been recognized as inhabiting different 

 parts of the North American continent ; and, if Professor Agassiz's 

 views are correct, their number must now be reckoned at thirty-seven 

 — all occurring within the limits of the United States. Many of 

 these species are very abundant, and several of them are a favourite 

 article of diet in America. The ' Salt-water Terrapin,' Malacoclem- 

 mys palustris (which, we beg to suggest, might have been very appro- 

 priately named 'EncJiylo-clemmys), is pre-eminent among these, and 

 considered by many to be superior in flavour to true Hvrtle.' Those 

 who have been so fortunate as to assist at one of the evening meetings 

 of the Savants of Philadelphia called by the name of 'Whister-parties,' 

 cannot fail to recollect the 'call' which there always is for the dish 

 in which the limbs of this little animal are served up under the 

 denomination of ' Stewed Terrapins.' 



The abundance of these Testudinata in the United States, and the 

 kindness of correspondents in different parts of the Union, enabled 

 Professor Agassiz to make a very large collection of living examples, 

 and gave him a great advantage over former observers in Europe, 

 who have been obliged to draw their characters from dead specimens. 

 "The number of living Turtles I have had an opportunity of exa- 

 mining and preserving for months and years in my yard," says the 

 Professor, " will appear incredible to European naturalists : I have 

 had them and their eggs by thousands;" and, again, "There are 

 many species of which I have examined many hundreds of specimens." 

 It is evident, therefore, that his advantages have been great ; and the 

 views of an observer so distinguished, and with such opportunities, 

 must be entitled to no small respect. 



Professor Agassiz divides the Testudinata into the two natural 

 suborders, for which he adopts the names Chelonii and Amydce, pro- 

 posed by Oppel as long ago as 1 8 11 . Of the first, containing the 

 Sea-Turtles, he makes two families, Sphargididce. and Chelonioidce, 

 according to a division which has been already recognized, if not 

 generally employed. The second suborder, which contains the Land- 

 and Freshwater-Turtles, he separates into seven families — Triony- 



