National Museum at Paris. 25 
bone having been preserved, and from the correct manner in 
which the parts have been put together. 
The collection of stuffed animals, at the first coup d’cil, more 
completely conveys an idea of its immense riches than any 
other portion of the establishment. To see thousands of 
animals in their living attitudes, so happily prepared as to 
appear in actual movement, and then to pause and find all still 
and immovable, gives an idea of enchantment which it is diffi- 
cult to shake off, till i increasing admiration at every step super- 
sedes all other feelings, and till we finally turn from it lost in 
wonder at the magnificence of creation, and adore the mighty 
Hand which has formed these endless varieties, and yet bound 
the whole together in one common link. The division allotted 
to the stuffed deer, &c., has received several curious additions 
of the antelope kind; and there are two tufts of hair, said to 
belong to the tails of the grunting cow of the East, which is 
such an object of curiosity to neces: and which tufts are 
all that has yet been brought to Europe to prove its existence. 
The giraffes, camels, and’. oxen still stand together in this 
room, and the enormous basking shark has heen hoisted to 
the ceiling. But we feel impatient to get to the birds, the 
arrangement of which, from their size, is more complete than 
can be admitted among the quadrupeds. The first cases con- 
tain the diurnal birds of prey; w here the gypaetos of the Alps 
seems in the act of pouncing on its victins the secr etary bird 
appears to have walked in from the menagery, and the falcon 
ready to soar from the wrist of the huntsman. The owls of 
all countries succeed these; and passing by the splendid par- 
rots, parroquets, toucans, &c., we stop for a long time before 
the Passeres. In this order every idea of exquisite form, grace, 
delicacy, brilliancy, and harmony of colouring seems verified: 
The lyretails (Meentira), the parasol birds (Cephalépterus), 
the lov ely birds of par adise, the sugar birds, the gems of hum- 
ming-bir ds blazing in the light, seem each to demand a whole 
day’s admiration: and en come the Gallinaceae, with the 
red-breasted pigeon, looking as if an arrow had just pierced 
her heart; the horned and argus pheasants, &c. ‘The ostrich, 
the rose-coloured flamingo, the sacred and the scarlet ibis; 
the kamichi, said to bleed his sick companions with the spur 
upon his wing, all take their place among the Gralla: and 
next to these are the Palmipedes, from the far-fi amed albatross, 
the awkward-looking penguin, the frigate bird, the stupid boo- 
bies, to the common duck. 
The two end rooms are still full of bats, quadrupeds, and 
monkeys. ‘The centre of the rooms is filled with cases of 
Molltisca of the rarest and most beautiful species, both fossil 
