BRITISH ZOOLOGISTS 



(CONTINUED). 



IN the twenty or thirty years which followed the 

 publication, in 1817, of the 'Regne Animal/ the study of 

 natural history was prosecuted in Britain by many 

 distinguished and able men, and great advances were 

 effected in almost all branches of the science. These 

 advances, however, mostly concern our knowledge of 

 special groups of animals, and are therefore of little 

 interest except to specialists. As regards philosophical 

 zoology, or the principles of natural history, the condition 

 of the science remained without any noteworthy alteration, 

 very much as it had been left by Cuvier. All that can be 

 here attempted, therefore, is to give a very brief general 

 sketch of the progress which was made during this period 

 as regards special groups of the animal kingdom, with 

 more particular reference to any point of exceptional 

 interest. Many well-known names are, of course, 

 necessarily omitted in such an outline, and any attempt 

 to analyse the varied works which appeared at this epoch 

 would lead us into paths which are only pleasant to walk 

 upon for the initiated. The typical naturalist of this 



