De VHistoire Naturelle des Cetaces. 175 



ject is confessedly a difficult one, and has made less advance than 

 many others in natural history ; the real facts collected concerning 

 the order are comparatively few, and the fictions and errors are pe- 

 culiarly numerous, so that every one who would presecute the sub- 

 ject is soon taught, that in using the accumulated mass of materials 

 the greatest caution is necessary, and that much must be rejected, 

 and but little adopted. This in fact has been the course pursued 

 by all those who have lately taken up the subject ; the Baron Cu- 

 vier led the way in this most irksome but necessary task, and we 

 may remark, that we know no portion of his labours which is more 

 striking and successful than that in which he applied an enlighten- 

 ed criticism to the review of the alleged species of this order ; had 

 then his brother done nothing more than presented to the public, 

 in a portable and cheap form this work, which occupies a half of 

 the fifth ponderous 4to on the Osseme?i,^ Fossiles, he would have ren- 

 dered a most essential service to the cause of Cetology ; and had he 

 systematically devoted his pen to the removal of the serious ob- 

 stacles just alluded to, we should have been the first to appreciate 

 and commend his labours. 



But while M. F. Cuvier has most distinctly announced the nature 

 and design of his work to be those which we have stated above in 

 his own words, it is not possible to proceed far in the perusal of his 

 volume without discovering, that he has soon entirely departed from 

 his avowed purpose, and, for reasons which are not explained, has 

 executed his work very much on the usual and common plan of such 

 treatises on natural history. In fact, had we not been so distinctly 

 and frequently advertised on the point, we should not have disco- 

 vered that he had even contemplated making any difference between 

 his plan and that of the other natural histories of the Cetacea which 

 have appeared either in more remote or more modern times. Our 

 author himself seems to be fully conscious that he has deviated 

 from his proper design, and has thereby introduced a want of symme- 

 try and unity which cannot be too much regretted. He states the 

 work to be one " ou il devroit y avoir plus d'accord, plus d'ordre, et 

 surtout plus d'unite." (p. 1.) 



An acknowledgment such as this seems to have anticipated, and 

 so far as we are concerned, it disarms criticism ; and we should not 

 perhaps have given the prominence we have done to the circum- 

 stance, had it not been necessary in the way of accounting for a very 

 decided tone of criticism which pervades the work, and which will 

 probably call for a vigorous defence from those living authors who 

 have been assailed. There is, however, another feature of the work 



