Scientific Notices. 137 



science, they utterly deny to the pretensions of M. Lesson. It is strange 

 to observe in the very page where this virriter passes his judgment so 

 dogmatically upon the labours of his fellow naturalists, how much he 

 exposes his want of qualifications as a judge. From him as a voyager, 

 and a voyager in the countries where these animals abound, some elu- 

 cidation might have been expected of their economy, and of their 

 specifick characters, hitherto so little understood. But he has left con- 

 fusion worse confounded. The very animal which comes next in affinity 

 to the two which are now before us, he has represented as belonging to 

 two totally distinct species. In the " Manuel de Mammalogie" he as- 

 serts that the Hylobales agilis " is the Simia Lar of Sir Raffles."* 

 In the page of the " Bulletin" before us, he pronounces, with equal 

 confidence, that the same animal " is evidently the Ungka puti of Sir 

 Ilaffles."f In this last assertion he happens to be correct. And 

 he owes this chance to his having been set right in the very Paper 

 which he attacks, and by the same authours upon whom he so dogmati- 

 cally animadverts. — Hinc illee lacrymae. — But he has not the grace to 

 acknowledge the correction. He gives his information as emanating 

 from himself. Both his contradictory assertions stand forwaid with the 

 support of the same dictatorial language and pomp of authority. And 

 the mystified student of the Quadrumana liesitates in dismay to which he 

 shall give credit of these rival " Sir Oracles" of the " Manuel" and the 

 " Bulletin." 



The second animal of which mention is made by Mr. Vigors and Dr. 

 Horsfield is one which tliey represented as closely aUied to the Simia 

 nasica of Linnseus, if not the young of that species. Here again they 

 merely suggested the specifick difference between the animals alluded to, 

 and called the attention of naturahsts to the determination of the point. 

 They even went so far as to assign their reasons for bringing into notice so 

 doubtful a point; — " considering," as they aver, "that they will add 



♦ " Gibbon agile, Hyl. agilis, F. Cuv. C'est le Simia Lar de Sir Raffles." 

 Man. de Mamm. p. 31. 



t " U Ungka puti de Sir Raffles est evidemment le Wou-wou dclVl. F. Cuvier, 

 " ouVHyl. agilis." Bulletin des Sciences Naturelles, Mars 1S29, />. 454. It 

 is to be borne in mind that Sir Stamford Raffles's Simia Lar, or Ungka etam of 

 the Malays, is the Hyl. Rajlesii of M. Geoff. St. Hilaire, and that Iiis Ungka 

 puti, is the true Hyl. agilis. 



