È 
1876.] A Century’s Progress in American Zoölogy. 591 
tered from the direct rays of the sun. In some cases the whole 
of the piece of beef disappeared. 
The small insects seem to live but a short time, although they 
are touched by only two to four hairs. The substance seems to 
be soon taken out of the insects. In my opinion, it is a true in- — 
sectivorous plant. (Proceedings Amer. Assoc. Adv. Sc., 1875.) 
A CENTURY’S PROGRESS IN AMERICAN ZOOLOGY. 
BY A. S. PACKARD, JR. 
HE title of this article is almost a misnomer, since American 
zodlogical science dates only from 1796, when Barton pub- 
lished his Memoir on the Fascination attributed to the Rattle- 
snake, while his Facts, Observations, and Conjectures on the 
Generation of the Opossum appeared in 1801. These were sim- 
ply memoirs, but still talented productions and not unworthy to 
begin the century. Previous to this, John Bartram published a 
few zodlogical tracts in the Philosophical Transactions of the 
Royal Society of London, the first appearing in 1744, while his 
Description of East Florida, etc., was published in London in 
1769. 
John Bartram was born in this country, and so was Barton ; 
but the latter was, perhaps, the more genuine biologist, and his 
work was so well appreciated in England that he was called by 
Swainson the “ father of natural history in America.” The first 
century of American zodlogy should, then, date from 1796, and 
it had a worthy beginning. 
American systematic zovlogy may be said to date from the 
years 1808-14, when the successive volumes of Wilson’s Orni- 
thology were published, though it should be remembered that 
Wilson was born and bred in Scotland. Thus, with the excep- 
tion of Bartram’s and Barton’s works, what we have to say of 
American zodlogy (including animal physiology and psychology 
and embryology) covers only a little over half a century. 
The next work was by Prince Bonaparte, on birds, a volume 
Complementary to Wilson’s great work, and published in. this 
Country in 1825-33. 
But the first general work by a native-born American was Dr. 
Richard Harlan’s Fauna Americana, published in 1825. This 
Was succeeded by Dr. John D. Godman’s work on North Ameri- 
can Mammals, published in three volumes in 1826-28. Bartram,’ 
1 John Bartram was born at Darby, in the suburbs of Philadelphia. 
