56 Meteorological Observations. 



the rains, visceral and organic diseases in the cold, and 

 epidemics during the hot months. The greatest proportion of 

 sickness is probably during the rains, that of death during 

 the cold months; cholera however has for the last three 

 years been a regular attendant on the accession of hot wea- 

 ther. It is easy to see from the few facts thus thrown 

 loosely together how much the study of meteorology, when 

 directed to the natural history of the atmosphere might 

 improve our knowledge of diseases. We know so little of 

 the influence of external nature over the animal economy 

 that we cannot be surprised that our knowledge of the 

 cause of disease should remain nearly stationary, and that 

 what we announce as discoveries to-day should be upset 

 by some new opinion to-morrow. The difficulty is to make 

 people sensible of the necessity of feeling their way with 

 a view to the elucidation of some specific point. 



Remarks on an undescribed species of Civet. By Mr. J. 



M'Clelland. 



The zoologist has no greater difficulty to encounter in the 

 mere descriptive part of his duty than in drawing just con- 

 clusions as to the specific value of characters in animals nearly 

 allied to each other, and there is nothing of more impor- 

 tance to know, than the amount of variation nature is capable 

 of assuming in a single form, and the circumstances to which 

 such variations are due. 



We should not generally lay any great stress on slight 

 shades of difference in colour, but there are some groups 

 in which the distribution of particular spots and markings 

 on the external covering is of much more importance 

 than in others. In the Feres, or Cats, for instance, as well as 

 in their corresponding types throughout the animal kingdom, 

 we often observe each species distinguished not merely by 

 the number, size, and colour of spots, but by the particular 

 forms these assume on various parts of the body. It is' 



