MEMOIR OF PALLAS. 27 
teen plates, as its title Miscellania Zoologica would 
lead us to infer, a great variety of subjects are 
brought under review. The author particularly 
describes several species of vertebral animals new 
to science, and a number of invertebral, not wholly 
disregarding either insects or plants. He was en- 
gaged, as he states in his preface, for several years 
in its preparation, and was induced to undertake 
it from the great attentions and facilities he had 
experienced in Holland.* 
Though we must not attempt any thing like an 
extended analysis, yet we cannot pass by this inte- 
resting volume without a few remarks. It contains 
a minute description of a species of bat, concerning 
which family Pallas remarks, much was required 
at the time to perfect the history. From its resem- 
blance to the shrew-mouse, he named it Vespertilio 
soricinus ; it is the Glosophaga soricina of systema- 
tists, G. of Pallas of Desmarest. It was not more 
than two inches in length, but was in many re- 
spects remarkable. It had been procured both in 
Surinam and the West Indies; and yet, he remarks, 
its natural history was quite a blank. We need 
scarcely remark, that our author, both with pen 
and pencil, amply supplied this deficiency. Though 
many species are now included in the genus, yet no 
* In Belgium triennio fere abhinc advena summa humani- 
tate a curiosis et Scientie patronis excerptus fui. Ditissima 
abinde, qnibus Batave urbes gloriantur, rerum naturalium 
musea in hoe genus studii ardentissimo mihi liberaliter patu- 
erunt, &c. 
