286 ME. C. DATIES SHERBOEX ON THE DATES OF [Feb. 16, 



p. 12-34. A separate copy in the Tweeddale Library, Brit. 

 Mus. (Nat. Hist.), has on the title 1810, and includes " Obser- 

 vations sur le systeine des Oiseaux de I'^lgypte," dated 5 Dec, 

 1810, and "a Paris de riinprimerie impcriale, 1811." There 

 is also a footnote on A 2 " Le premier ordre de ce systeme a 

 paru en 1809, dans la premiere livraison de I'ouvrage general." 

 There is no doubt that Livr. 1 appeared in 1809 and that the 

 " Oiseaux " formed a part of it : therefore the date is 1809. 

 Vol. L, part 1, "■Reptiles" by Geoifroy, pp. 11.5-120: by Isidore 

 Geoffrey, pp. 121-160 : explication des planches des Reptiles, 

 by V. Audouin, pp. 161-184. 

 " Crocodiles " by Geoffroy, pp. 185-264. 



"Suite des Poissons du Nil " by Isidore Geoffroy, pp. 265-310. 

 " PoissoTis de la Mer Rouge " by Isidore Geoffroy, pp. 311-843. 

 I take these parts all together. The Reptiles of Etienne 

 Geoffroy was completed by his son Isidore, and an explan- 

 ation of the plates was given by Audouin. The Suite des 

 Poissons and the Poissons de la Mer Rouge were reviewed in 

 Ferussac's Bidletin (xx., 1830, p. 319) as having recently 

 appeared. Isidore Geoffroy, writing in Du Petit Thouars's 

 'Voyage de la Venus' (Mamm. p. 2, f.n.), says : "Dans les 

 parties erpetologique et ichthyologique du grand ouvrage sur 

 I'Bgypte, 1827." In the 8vo edition of Savigny, the Eeptiles, 

 Pishes, and Crocodiles occupy vol. xxiv., which was published 

 in 1829 ; while it is certain that many of the explications des 

 planches of Audouin were published in 1826. 

 In Perussac, Bull. Sci. Nat. xix., 1829, p. 336, and xx., 1830, 

 pp. 147 and 319, the two volumes of Natural History of Egypt 

 are reviewed. Georges Cuvier dated his preface to the 2nd 

 edition of ' Le Eegne Animal,' Octobre 1828, at which date we may 

 with safety assume that his work was finished. He was the most 

 likely person to see the 'Histoire Naturelle de I'Egypte'; and an 

 examination of his volumes shows that, though he was familiar 

 with the plates, he had not seen the whole of the text by the date 

 he wrote his preface. Unfortunately Guvier frequently omitted 

 to quote more than the plate in his references, and this makes our 

 enquiry more difficult. So far as Mammals are concerned, 

 Cuvier quotes thrice only (pp. 115, 119, and 120), but these 

 quotations do not settle anything. In Vol. ii. of ' Regne Animal,' 

 deahugwith Reptiles and Pishes, he quotes the work many times, 

 and notably the text of the " Crocodiles " on p. 22. Now as the 

 " Crocodiles " formed pp. 185-264 of Vol. I. of ' Hist. Nat. de 

 I'Egypte,' we may conclude that pp. 115-264 of that volume, 

 which included the Reptiles, were published before October 1828; 

 and, accepting Isidore Geoffrey's statement in the Voyage of the 

 Venus (supra) as correct, definitely fix the date as 1827. The 

 Pishes also, which form pp. 265-343 of the Vol. II. of the ' Hist. 

 Nat. de I'Egypte,' are quoted only as plates by Cuvier in his 

 ' Regne Animal.' In Cuvier and Valenciennes's Hist. Nat. Poissons, 

 i., 1828, pp. 198, 199, Cuvier refers to the work as follows: — 



