, 286 Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. 
descriptions of the species of Chelonian reptiles : the distribution of 
the Saurians into their families and genera ; an essay on their or- 
ganization and habits ; and a similar list of the books which treat 
of them. 
The general observations are written by M. Dumeril; while 
every thing relative to the description and determination of the spe- 
cies and their synonyms, has been left to M. Bibron, now his as- 
sistant in the museum, and formerly the animal preserver of the de- 
partment.* 
It is much to be regretted that M. Bibron, with the characteris- 
tic inconsiderateness of a young naturalist, has deemed it necessary 
to change capriciously many of the established family, generic and 
specific names; but in so doing he follows many of the modern 
French authors, who thus affect to give a national character to their 
works. Thus he has named anew all the families of the Chelonian 
reptiles; he has changed the name of the genus Chelydra of 
Schweiger, which Fleming also had called Chelonura, to Emysaura ! 
Trionyx of Geoffroy, which is the same as Aspidonectes of Wagler, 
must now be called Gymnopsus ; and Ernyda of Gray becomes the 
Cryptopus of M. Bibron ! 
M. Bibron has followed the arrangement of the Chelonians pub- 
lished by Mr Gray in his Synopsis Reptilium. He has given a very 
extensive list of synonyms, copied in a great measure from the ela- 
borate paper on the synonyms of these animals written by the 
unfortunate Schweiger : and to those is added a very verbose de- 
scription of the species. J. E. G. 
TRANSACTIONS AND PERIODICALS. British. 
The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. Conducted by Pro- 
fessor JAMESON. April to July 1836. Edinburgh. A. & C. Black. 
(Part 1st of Vol. xxi.) 8vo. (Continued from p. 99.) 
I. Zoology. 
Dr GRAVES of Dublin, " Observations on the Sense of Touch, including an 
analysis of Weber's works on that subject," copied from the March number of 
the Dublin Medical Journal, p. 67 JOHN GRAHAM DALYELL, Esq. " Farther 
illustrations of the propagation of Scottish Zoophytes." p. 88. Additions to a 
communication read before the British Association in 1834, and published in a 
previous number of the Ed. Phil. Journal. The remarks refer to the propaga- 
tion of " Actinia, Alcyonum, Sertulariae, Hydra tuba, Tubularia polyceps, and 
Cristatellae." Mr JOHN SHAW, " An acount of some experiments and observa- 
tions on the Parr, and on the ova of the Salmon proving the parr to be the young 
of the Salmon," p. 99. Interesting experiments plainly detailed, but not " prov- 
* Discour. Prelim, p. x. 
