25 
Linnseos. It is difficult to decide this point by an 
inspection of the plate of the animal^ which Linnaius, 
or his pupil Oesterdam, published in 1766. For, 
really, this plate is so bad, that it ought never to 
be quoted without a censure, and should never be re- 
ferred to, in any systematic or classical work on zool- 
ogy, without the affixed word pessima. I do not be- ^ 
lieve, that Linn^us’s figure will be found to resem- 
ble any species of Siren. The branchiae, in parti- 
cular, are shamefully represented. 
The engravings which accompany Mr. Ellis’s pa- 
per, in the Philosophical Transactions, are ably exe- 
cuted, and are infinitely more correct. But neither 
the large (A.) nor the description, convey a perfect 
or correct idea of the form of the Sirens which I have 
examined. The head of Ellis’s animal is consider- 
ably too small for the bulk of the body. The inge- 
nious English naturalist observes that the feet appear 
like little arms and hands, each furnished with four 
fingers, and each finger with a claw.” In the draw- 
ing of the larger animal, the fingers or toes are repre- 
sented gradually tapering from their origin to their 
ends. This is very unlike the foot, or hand of my 
Siren, as is, indeed, the whole form of the leg of the 
Ellisian specimen. The differences between these 
parts, in the two animals, will be immediately per- 
ceived by comparing the annexed drawing (See Fi- 
gures 1 & S.) with that of Mr Ellis. The more mis- 
hapen legs and feet of my Siren may be justly com- 
pared to those of the Lacerta lacustiis, between 
4 
