2G Buffon's Natural History. 



* If there were defects in this plan, still the design, on the 

 whole, appeared to be important, and we have undertaken to 

 present a new edition of the work to the American public, 

 keeping in view the original plan of the London editor ; we 

 have not materially altered the arrangement of the work ; but 

 we have collected, from various sources, a large amount of 

 materials, and added about three hundred pages of matter. 

 This chiefly relates to American Zoology, which was very 

 imperfectly treated of in the London edition. We have made 

 free use of the excellent work of Dr. R,ichardson, recently 

 published in London, and have been therefore able to furnish 

 a tolerable complete account of the Quadrupeds of North 

 America ; we have also selected from Wilson many of his 

 inimitable descriptions of our own birds, and believe that we 

 have noticed most of the species in his work, as well as that 

 of M. Bonaparte. We liave not only given all the best engra- 

 vings in the London edition, but we have added many others, 

 from the Zoological Gardens, Tower Menagerie, and other 

 sources; a few have been drawn from living animals.' 



We shall make a brief extract which may not be uninter- 

 esting to our readers. In speaking of the lusus naturce of 

 the human species, the following description of the Siamese 

 youths is given : 



' They were born in the east, and are known as the Siamese 

 youths. A fleshy band, of from four to six inches long, 

 and two broad, proceeding from the pit of each stomach, 

 connects them together. The entire band admits four fingers 

 to pass freely behind it, wjien the boys stand shoulder to 

 shoulder, and its width and thickness allow the thumb to 

 meet the fingers on the front aspect. The vestiges of one 

 common navel are visible at the lower and middle part of the 

 band, and it is equidistant between the two bodies. The 

 band is hollow, except about an inch in the centre, and there 

 is evidently a hernial protrusion into it from each of the boys, 

 in the act of coughing. Their appearance is healthy, their 

 dispositions cheerful, and their attitudes and motions graceful. 

 They move across the room with all the ease and grace of a 

 couple skilfully waltzing, and seem never to have any difl^er- 

 ence of intention or purpose which can give pain to their 

 band of union by making them draw diflerent ways. The 

 natural position of the youths, or that which seems to place 

 the connecting ligament in its natural form, is that of face to 

 face. This position, as must be obvious, is extremely incon- 

 venient, and the boys have consequently accustomed them- 

 selves to stand or move side by side. Their persons are thus 



