388 Scientijic Intelligence* 
Imperial and Royal University of that city. For the last thirty 
years, he has devoted himself to researches on the living animals 
of the Adriatic Sea. He has observed them in all states and 
seasons, and anatomised them with the greatest care ; and by 
these means has succeeded in discovering many new beings, and 
been able to rectify, in many particulars, what has been written 
on those previously known. More than 100 designs of animals, 
with their anatomy coloured according to nature, are already 
finished. Most of these have been executed by the Professor 
himself, and the remainder by able artists under his inspection. 
These designs have been engraved with the utmost care, by ar- 
tists of the greatest reputation. The title of the work is, “ Ob- 
servazioni sopra alcuni animali del? Adriatico, fatte dal dott. Ste- 
fano Andrea Renier, Professore,” &c. The printing of the 
above work will be conducted under the eye of the author in 
the Italian and Latin languages, placed in opposite columns, 
in folio. The types have been cast expressly for the work. 
The plates also will be in folio, and on fine paper: those in 
outline, for reference, in blacl : ; and those of the figures in 
natural colours. The work will be published in numbers, by 
subscription. Each number will contain six plates of coloured 
figures ; six other plates in outline, black ; and about fifteen 
sheets of printing. The first number or fasciculus was announ- 
ced for publication in March 1816, and the others were to fol- 
low at intervals of three months. 
24. On the Proteus . — This remarkable animal, which has 
been hitherto found only in lakes in the limestone caves of Car- 
niola, has been particularly examined by an able Italian natu- 
ralist, Rusconi. Fie confirms the observation of Schreibers in 
demonstrating the existence of organs of generation, which 
proves that it is not a larva of any of the amphibia, as had been 
conjectured by some naturalists. The part which Cuvier de- 
scribes as the lungs, he maintains has neither pulmonary arte- 
ries nor veins ; hence cannot be considered as true lungs ; and he 
finds that the respiration is performed by means of gills. In 
short, Rusconi is of opinion, that the Proteus is a perfect rep- 
tile, differing from all other reptiles, in not having, like them, a 
simple respiration, but resembling fishes, in respiring by means 
of branchiae or gills. 
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