Classification of Animals. 549 



embraces every matter of importance connected with, or bearing 

 upon, the subject ; the style is free and copious, at the same time 

 perspicuous and clear; and where the subject requires it, numerous 

 and beautiful illustrations from the pencil of the author are intro- 

 duced, by well executed wood-cuts, which will be of essential 

 service to the student, in assisting him fully to comprehend what 

 it is often difficult or almost impossible to convey by mere ver- 

 bal description. In giving, however, our meed of praise to the en- 

 lightened author of a work, which must ultimately be of great 

 importance in the pursuit and attainment of zoological science, 

 we must not overlook or pass in silence what we consider to be fail- 

 ings, deserving at least of notice, if not of reproof; we allude to a 

 spirit of detraction, or at least an unwillingness to do full justice to 

 the merits of others, which we think is visible in many cases. 

 That of the great and immortal Cuvier may be particularized as 

 one, and an overweening opinion of self is so constantly brought for- 

 ward and forced upon the notice of his readers, that, in our case at 

 least, it proved a bar to the otherwise unmixt satisfaction and plea- 

 sure we should have felt in perusing these philosophic volumes. 



We shall now proceed to examine these volumes in detail, giv- 

 ing, where we deem it requisite, our opinion of their contents, as 

 they come under review. 



The first part of the work relates to the Geography of Animals ; 

 a subject deeply interesting to the naturalist, and which we think 

 the author has successfully treated, — his hypothesis being founded on 

 philosophical principles, and, so far as we can ascertain, in accord- 

 ance with facts. After a few apt introductory observations upon 

 the varieties or races of Man, which he shows cannot be attributed 

 to any of the secondary causes assigned or conjectured by those who 

 have speculated upon the question, he next proceeds to show that 

 the primary distribution of the animal world is involved in difficul- 

 ties of a similar nature ; the theories of the most eminent authors 

 being all alike unsatisfactory and inconclusive ; he therefore comes to 

 the conclusion, that " the primary causes which have led to different 

 regions of the earth being peopled by different races of animals, and 

 the laws by which their dispersion is regulated, must be for ever 

 hid from human research." This, however, does not debar an in- 

 quiry into what, he adds, " experience teaches is a fact," viz. that 

 certain divisions of the earth are characterized by peculiar animals ; 

 these divisions, therefore, their boundaries, extent, and peculiarities, 

 are the legitimate object of inquiry and investigation. Before an- 

 nouncing his own theory, he takes a review of those of Fabricius, 



