454 M^Murtrie^s Translation of the Begne Animal. 



At paragraph vi., the two wolves described by Say, in Long's 

 Expedition, canis latrans, and c. nubilus, are stated to be probably 

 varieties of c. lupus. A visit to the Philadelphia museum, where 

 individuals of these two species are preserved, would have satis- 

 fied him of Mr. Say's correctness. Indeed, c. nuhilus resembles 

 c. lycaon^ more than c. lupus. 



The catalogue of the " mammalia and birds of the United 

 States," which closes the first volume, is exceedingly defective, 

 and exhibits an almost entire ignorance of the labours of Ameri- 

 can naturalists. The genus sorex is mentioned, with the fol- 

 lowing note : " We have many species of this genus in the 

 U. States, but not one that has yet been properly determined." 

 And at page 88, there is a note on this subject, signed Am. Ed. 

 which has a very learned appearance. Who the friend behind 

 the curtain is, I do not pretend to say ; but it has occasionally 

 been drawn up high enough to show, at least, the legs of 

 a friend. Whether intentionally or not, Mr. Say is treated 

 with great injustice. More complete descriptions of an animal 

 have never been given, than those we owe to him of the sorex 

 parvus, and sorex brevicaudus, for which I refer to Long's Ex- 

 pedition, Vol. L pp. 163, 164. Traits of this kind deserve ani- 

 madversion. It is not to be endured, that the labours of so 

 distinguished a traveller as Col. Long, and of so able a naturalist 

 as Mr. Say, should be obscured in this unjustifiable manner. Of 

 the illiberal slights which other American naturalists have re- 

 ceived upon this occasion, I forbear at present to speak. 



The translator has not thought proper, at the end of his first 

 volume, to give a list of errata: this he ought to have done, 

 since they are numerous enough, and occasionally affect the 

 meaning of his author ; the typographical errors, too, are suffi- 

 ciently obvious to catch the eye of a rapid reader. At page 29, 

 honogeneous for homogeneous, — p. 69, siamiri for saimiri, — p. 72, 

 €ve7'y for very, — p. 80, shaved for shaped, — p. Ill, colour on the 

 eye, for to the eye, — p. 113, black for back, — p. 126, black for 

 back, — p. 139, watered for waved, — p. 142, poessig for poeppig, — 

 p. 238, morhpnus for morphnus, — p. 258, tanaers for tangara, — p. 

 277, moeura for mcenura, — p. 297, maugeur for mangeur, — p. 331, 

 birds passage for birds of passage, — p. 347, larger for longer, — p. 392, 

 roges for rouges, — p. 402, beak for neck, — p. 405, when for where. 



I shall not pursue, at present, these remarks into the subse- 



