The Zoologist— May, 1874. 3975 



call. In his absence grievous accusations were laid against him, and par- 

 ticularly by one Chanticleer, whose children he had barbarously murdered 

 after gaining admission into the farmyard under pretence of being a hermit. 

 The King, determining to punish Eeynard, sent first the Bear, and then 

 the Cat after him, who bore a royal mandate to the gate of Reynard's castle, 

 where he is shown waiting for him. The Cat, like the previous messenger, 

 is artfully led into the trap and Reynard escapes. At length, on the Badger 

 coming to fetch him, Reynard consents to appear in court, where he is con- 

 demned to e.\:ecution. While on the scaffold, by a subtle speech, he dissuades 

 the King (the Lion) from his purpose by telling him of a great concealed 

 treasure. In testimony of his veracity he brings forward the Hare as a 

 witness, which forms another of the groups. Reynard then, considering 

 himself under excommunication, resolves on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, 

 and is shown in his pilgrim state with a rosary and a palmer's staff. A Hare, 

 passing before Reynard's castle, sees him in a pilgrim's garb, and Reynard, 

 flying upon the unsuspecting traveller, uses his palmer's staff with intent to 

 murder him. This is the subject of another group. The Hare, fleeing to 

 the King, informs him of the attempt, and the King resolves to destroy 

 Eeynard and his castle of Malepartus forthwith. The conclusion of this 

 tale is a combat between Reynard and one of his accusers, in which the 

 former by his art comes off victor, and returns loaded with courtly favours 

 to his castle, where he is represented seated at ease." 



With regard to details, I must claim a critic's privilege to make 

 a fevf suggestions. The "comical creatures" should not have been 

 placed between the spectator and the light; they are not trans- 

 parent, and therefore the fun of the thing is in a great measure lost 

 by this location : they must be viewed as opaque, but their opacity 

 is now increased to a very unsatisfactory extent ; they are so placed 

 as regards the light that it is difficult to understand and appreciate 

 them. In an educational point of view, it may be questioned which 

 is preferable, the florid style of taxidermy, in which these " comical 

 creatures" are presented to our notice, or the diagrammatic style 

 adopted in our museums ; the first supposes animals acting in an 

 impossible manner; the second virtually represents them as life- 

 less, and therefore incapable of acting at all ; both extremes are 

 objectionable. 



In the principal series a middle course is observed ; in this the 

 animals are arranged in groups, without much attempt at scientific 

 classification, but the animals are placed in attitudes which it is 

 supposed they might assume when living and pursuing their 

 ordinary avocations ; more pailicularly the beasts of prey are 



