58 MEMOIRS OF 



to M. Lamarck, consisting of the most beau- 

 tiful representations of Crustacea, forming twen- 

 ty-three separate pages, and containing, among 

 native marine Crustacea, several exotic species. 



On coming to Paris, one of the first works 

 communicated to his friends by M. Cuvier was 

 a memoir, on the formation and use of a method 

 in pursuing the study of natural history, and 

 which he applied most happily to insects. This 

 memoir was followed by several more especial 

 labours, among which may be remarked, the de- 

 scription of a species of wasp ( J'^espa nidulans), 

 originally from Cayenne. In this paper he cor- 

 rected an error made by Reaumur, who described 

 and figured the Chalcis, a parasitical insect, 

 living in wasps nests, as the female of the T^espa 

 nididans. Soon after the appearance of the 

 above, a very interesting memoir was published 

 on the Cloportes ( Onisctis, Lin.) in which some 

 parts of the mouths of Crustacea were described 

 for the first time. This was soon followed by 

 several others ; one of the most remarkable of 

 which was a critical dissertation on the species 

 of crabs known to the ancients, and on the 

 names then given to them. In the month of Sep- 

 tember, 1797, M. Cuvier read, before the Insti- 

 tute, a very curious dissertation on the manner 



