Mr. W. S. MacLeay on sotne Remarks of M. Virey. 51 



Entomologicce by a writer of less reputation that M. Virey, I should 

 scarcely have deemed either my opponent or myself of sufficient weight 

 to trouble the world with this explanation : but coming from a zoologist, 

 whose primary division of the animal kingdom has been confessedly bor- 

 rowed by M. Cuvier* in the Regne Animal, and made the frame of that 

 great work, it would ill become me to pass over his remarks in silence. 

 And moreover, as these claims of priority urged by M. Virey have reference 

 not to the Horce Entomologicce, but to a paper which has had the honour 

 of being inserted in the Transactions of the Linnean Society, I should 

 certainly ere now have shown their futility, had I not last year been too 

 much occupied with private business, preparatory to leaving England, to 

 be able to bestow attention on scientific subjects. I need only further 

 say, that I feel too grateful to M. Virey for the terms in which he has 

 always expressed himself with regard to my works, to discuss this subject 

 in any other way than as a mere question of fact. I certainly regret the 

 general charge made against me, of being unjust to his countrymen, 

 although I scarcely know what it means. With respect to himself, so far 

 from not doing him justice, I have borrowed from him, with, I hope, a 

 proper acknowledgement, f the idea of the primary divisions of the 

 animal kingdom being dependent on the nervous system ; and although I 

 may have treated the subject in a somewhat different manner, I never 

 indulged the least wish, still less did I ever attempt to extenuate the merit 

 of the author of that original idea. 



■ Ever yours, &c. &c. 



W. S. MacLeay. 



Havana, Nov. \7 , \%2Q. 



* Regne Animal, 1. p. x^i 

 t See Hor. Ent. p. 200. 



D 2 



