^ 



1'22 Kdtnral Histovi). 



portant event in the progress of natural history.- 

 he Serpents have also been largely treated of by 

 M. Lacepede, of France, who formed a new 

 arrangement of them, founded chiefly on the scales, 

 and bearing, in several respects, a considerable 

 resemblance to that of Linnaeus. The same writer 

 Jhas published a work on Oviparous Qnadnipeds, 

 in which he has much improved on the labours 

 of the great Swedish naturalist. The natural his- 

 tory of the Tortoise has been very ably and com- 

 pletely executed by Schoepf, a distinguished 

 writer of Germany. The fascinating poiver ascribed 

 to serpents has been the subject of considerable 

 discussion during the period under review. Those 

 who have examined this subject in the most philo- 

 sophical manner, are M. Lacepede, Professor 

 JBlumexbach, and especially Professor Barton, of 

 Philadelphia, whose Essay on this subject is, per- 

 haps, the most satisfactory hitherto presented to the 

 student of natural history. 



AVithin the same period, IchtJiT/ology, or the 

 history of the fourth IJnna^an class, has been cul- 

 tivated with equal diligence and success. In this 

 branch of zoology, Artedi, a Swede, and fellow 

 student of LiNN^iaus, greatly distinguished him- 

 self. Next to him flourished Gouan, of Montpel- 

 lier, who adopted the Linnsean arrangement, and 

 did himself much honour by his writings on this 

 subject. About the same time Marsigli, an 

 Italian, in his history of the Danube, threw much 

 light on the fishes of that river, and of course, on 

 7chtJiyolog}j in general. After Marsigli, M. 

 Broussonett, of France, made a very instructive 

 present to naturalists, in his work on the rare 

 fishes, and those which had been before badly de- 

 scribed. In the same high rank stands Professor 

 Monro's celebrated work on the physiology of 

 this class of animals. But of ail the writers on this 



