Ixx 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



bientot dans le meme oubli ou sont tombees les hypotheses et les 

 theories qui les avaient precedees, et qu'apres quelque temps, les 

 ecrits ou on les a exposees ne sont plus recherches que par les 

 cuiieux qui ne veulent ignorer aucun trait de l'histoire des sciences, 

 laquelle n'est que trop souvent l'histoire des aberrations de l'esprit 

 humain." 



But if general systems are now too vast and comprehensive to be 

 interfered with by the zoologist or botanist who cannot devote his 

 life to the subject, he may, by limiting his researches to such 

 portions as he can thoroughly investigate — to monographs of new or 

 imperfectly known species, genera, or orders — supply contributions 

 of the highest value to the science. If any naturalist has the oppor- 

 tunity of examining or studying any little-known animal or plant, or 

 any group hitherto comparatively neglected or misunderstood, if he 

 will draw up his descriptions from actual observation of specimens, 

 carefully collating all that has been previously published on the sub- 

 ject, comparing the subjects of his investigation with allied species 

 or groups — not with their published descriptions only, but with actual 

 specimens, attaching more importance to giving good characters to 

 the groups he forms than to multiplying their names, and, above all, 

 taking every precaution to insure accuracy of detail, and verifying, by 

 repeated examination of different specimens, every observation which 

 may be new or at variance with those of his predecessors, he may be 

 sure that his labours will be duly appreciated. Papers of this kind, 

 when not attractive as works of art, are indeed not generally remu- 

 nerative to their publishers ; but we should always consider it a legi- 

 timate application of our funds to insert them in our Transactions or 

 in our Journal, with more or less of illustration according to their 

 scientific interest or importance. 



Amongst zoological monographs which have been most recently 

 published, Mr. Busk has called my attention to the completion of 

 Mr. Gould's splendid work on the Trochilidae, unrivalled in the 

 beauty and fidelity of the plates, and containing in the introductory 

 portion an interesting and compendious account of the distribution 

 and classification of Humming-birds. In the subkingdom Mollusca, 

 the elaborate memoir of M. Lacaze-Duthiers (whom you have just 

 elected into one of the vacancies among our Foreign Members) on 

 the Anatomy and Embryology of Vermetus has added much to our 

 knowledge; of Mollusoan organization. Under Crustacea 1 should 



notice Prof 660OI Leydig's Natural History of the Daphnidte; and 

 under Arachnida, Professor Lk aokart'a important memoir on the 

 Structure and Development of the Pentaetomata, and Dr. Pagen- 



