52 MEMOIR OF PALLAS. 
to Cuvier, no animal, even the commonest among 
ourselves, are so well known. He also introduced to 
notice a new species of wild cat (WVov. Com. Pet. 
ann. 1781), and supplied information on the wild 
ass of the desert (Act. Petr.i.); also concerning 
the small buffalo or yak, and regarding those small 
yellow foxes (Canis corsac) of northern India which 
some believe to be the pretended golden ants of 
Flerodotus. (eve Nordische Beytrage, 1. 29.) “ It 
is a pity,” remarks Cuvier, “ that Buffon did not 
acquaint himself with these invaluable memoirs, 
the simple translation of which would have made 
an admirable addition to his work.” The Lepus 
and Mus genera alone, including hares, rats, and 
mice, supplied materiais for a quarto of two hun- 
dred and sixty pages (or. Spe. Quadrup. e. Gli- 
rium Ordine) with many beautifully illustrative 
engravings; a striking warrant and example for 
our present work, and for those monographs we are 
making it our business to supply. There are thirty- 
two engravings of the genus Mus alone, frequently 
illustrative not only of their general appearance, 
but of their habits, layers, food, and capture. The 
following is Cuvier’s estimate of this work :—“ The 
history and anatomy of these animals are unfolded 
with that rich amplification of which Buffon and 
Daubenton alone had previously set the example ; 
and although, from modesty, the author has not 
established new genera, yet his descriptions are so 
precise, that any intelligent systematist may easily 
extract the generic characters from them.” 
