National Museum at Paris. 25 



bone having been preserved, and from the correct manner in 

 which the parts have been put together. 



The collection of stuffed animals, at the first coup deceit, more 

 completely conveys an idea of its immense riches than any 

 other portion of the establishment. To see thousands of 

 animals in their living attitudes, so happily prepared as to 

 appear in actual movement, and then to pause and find all still 

 and immovable, gives an idea of enchantment which it is diffi- 

 cult to shake off', till increasing admiration at every step super- 

 sedes all other feelings, and till we finally turn from it lost in 

 wonder at the magnificence of creation, and adore the mighty 

 Hand which has formed these endless varieties, and yet bound 

 the whole together in one common link. The division allotted 

 to the stuffed deer, &c., has received several curious additions 

 of the antelope kind ; and there are two tufts of hair, said to 

 belong to the tails of the grunting cow of the East, which is 

 such an object of curiosity to naturalists, and which tufts are 

 all that has yet been brought to Europe to prove its existence. 

 The giraffes, camels, and oxen still stand together in this 

 room, and the enormous basking shark has been hoisted to 

 the ceiling. But we feel impatient to get to the birds, the 

 arrangement of which, from their size, is more complete than 

 can be admitted among the quadrupeds. The first cases con- 

 tain the diurnal birds of prey ; where the gypaetos of the Alps 

 seems in the act of pouncing on its victim, the secretary bird 

 appears to have walked in from the menagery, and the falcon 

 ready to soar from the wrist of the huntsman. The owls of 

 all countries succeed these ; and passing by the splendid par- 

 rots, parroquets, toucans, &c., we stop for a long time before 

 the Passeres. In this order every idea of exquisite form, grace, 

 delicacy, brilliancy, and harmony of colouring seems verified. 

 The lyretails (Maenura), the parasol birds (Cephalopterus), 

 the lovely birds of paradise, the sugar birds, the gems of hum- 

 ming-birds blazing in the light, seem each to demand a whole 

 day's admiration : and then come the Gallinaceae, with the 

 red-breasted pigeon, looking as if an arrow had just pierced 

 her heart ; the horned and argus pheasants, &c. The ostrich, 

 the rose-coloured flamingo, the sacred and the scarlet ibis; 

 the kamichi, said to bleed his sick companions with the spur 

 upon his wing, all take their place among the Grallae : and 

 next to these are the Palmipedes, from the far-famed albatross, 

 the awkward-looking penguin, the frigate bird, the stupid boo- 

 bies, to the common duck. 



The two end rooms are still full of bats, quadrupeds, and 

 monkeys. The centre of the rooms is filled with cases of 

 Mollusca of the rarest and most beautiful species, both fossil 



