154 Natural History. . [Chap. Ill, 



a number of years in South Carolina, communi- 

 cated much new light with respect to the ani- 

 mals generally, and especially the Amphibia^ of 

 the new world*. Dr. RusselFs great work on 

 ihe Serpents of the Coromandel Coast f is a pro- 

 duction of the highest ext^ellence in its kind, the 

 publication of which was an important event in the 

 progress of natural history. The Serpents have 

 also beeii largely treated of by the celebrated Fon- 

 tana; and still more recently by M. la Cepede, of 

 France, who formed a new arrangement of them, 

 founded chiefly on the scales^ and bearing, in se- 

 veral respects, a considerable resemblance to that 

 of Linnaeus. The same writer has published a 

 work on Oviparous Quadrupeds ^ in which he has 

 much improved on the labours of the great Swedish 

 naturalist. The Frogs have been ably treated by 

 Roesel, a German naturalist. The natural history 

 of the Tortoise has been very ably and completely 

 executed by Schoepf, a distinguished writer of Ger- 

 many; and also by Schneider, of the same country. 

 The fascinating power ascribed to serpents hdi^heen 

 the subject of considerable discussion during the 

 pei'iod under review. Those who have examined 

 this subject in the most philosophical manner are 

 M. laCepede, professor Blumenbach, and especially 

 professor Barton, of Philadelphia, wiiose Essay on 



* Dr. Garden, who was a respectable physician of Charlestown, 

 in South Carolina, coinmiinicated to I^innteus mtich valuable in- 

 formation concerning the animals of America. Few names occur 

 mure fr<;quendy, or are mentioned wilii more honour in the %- 

 atcina Natura-, than his. 



t A)i. Account of Indian Scrpc-nts, &c. By Patrick Russell, M.D^ 

 r.ll.S. folio. 



