582 MESSRS. O. D. SHEBBORN AND B. B. WOODWARD ON [June 20, 



6. On the Dates of tlie 'Encyclopedie Methodique' (Zoology) . 

 By C. Davies Sherborn and B. B. Woodward. 



[ReceiTed June 15, 1893.] 



The exact dates of publication o£ the separate parts of this 

 remarkable Encyclopedia, which first began to appear in 1782, and 

 was not completed until almost the middle of this century, have 

 been a constant source of trouble to zoologists. The most diligent 

 search has failed to bring to light particulars of the original parts 

 and their contents, and only now and tlien can any such facts be 

 estabhshed. For instance, the 50th livraison was published on the 

 23rd July, 1792, but we are by no means certain of its contents. 

 The following determinations are the results of a search extended 

 over many months, of a careful consideration of the views of others, 

 and of a personal page by page observation by Mr. Sherborn while 

 compiling his * Index Gen. et Spec' 



In arriving at these conclusions we have been indebted to the 

 writings or communications of the following authors : — Moqnin- 

 Tandon, G. Dollfus, H. E. Dresser, A. Newton, R. Bowdler Sharpe, 

 Salvadori, F. II. Waterhouse, Edgar Smith, W. F. Kirby, and others. 



We have decided to arrange the ' Encyclope'die ' according to 

 the method employed in the General Library of the British Museum 

 (Natural History), as that has been found most convenient. 



Considerable confusion has been caused by writers who have 

 treated portions of this book as separate publications and have quoted 

 them as such. We refer to Desmarest's ' Mammalogie,' Bonna- 

 terre's ' Cctologie,' ' Erpetologie,' etc., and Bonnaterre and Vieillot's 

 ' Ornithologie.' In order to avoid such confusion in the futiu'e, 

 we would suggest the following as a satisfactory method of 

 quotation : — 



A. G. Desmarest, Euc. Meth. (Mamm.) (1), 1820, p. — . 

 G. P. Deshayes, Enc. Meth. (Vers) ii. (2), 1831, p. — . 



The following is the result of our investigations : — 



Zoology. — Text. 

 Tom. I. Hist. Nat. des Animaux. By Daubenton, edited from 

 BufPon : pp. i-xcii, 1-230. 1782. 

 Ornithologie, by Mauduyt : pp. 231-691. 1782. 

 Tom. II. Ornithologie, by Mauduyt : pp. 1-544. 1784. 



Anim. Quad, ovipares, et les Serpens, by Daubenton : 

 pp. 545-712. 1784. 

 Tom. III. Poissons, by Daubenton : pp. i-lx, 1-435. 1787. 



[Note. — To the "Animaux" and "Oiseaux" no specific 

 names are appended ; to the " Quad, ovip.," the 

 " Serpens," and the " Poissons" the genera and species 

 of earlier authors are appended, but no new names are 

 given and precedence is given to the French version.] 



