INTEODUCTORY LETTER. 
17 
Al. Lefebre, rendered me important services. It is almost 
useless to say, that the Museum of Paris offered me the 
most ample collection. This establishment, during many 
years the seat of the natural sciences, rivals still, in the 
number of its specimens, most other collections. All the 
world flocks to be there instructed ; because the friends of 
science there experience the most liberal reception. I 
should not speak of this liberality, so often and so justly 
vaunted, if personal obligations did not demand it as a 
duty. I had the happiness to be connected for several 
years with Professors Blainville and Valenciennes ; on 
my arrival in Paris M. Dumeril also honoured me by his 
kindness ; and I found a frank and sincere friend in 
M. Bibron, a zealous and accomplished naturalist, and a 
rival of my Herpetological labours. All these gentlemen 
concurred to render my stay in Paris in the highest degree 
useful ; the numerous materials which the Museum of the 
Jardin des Plantes affords were put at my disposal, and 
they readily lent me, and allowed me to take to Holland, 
all the unpublished specimens, or those which I was de- 
sirous of submitting to a new examination. I have reviewed, 
in conjunction with M. Bibron, at the Jardin des Plantes, the 
whole of that collection of reptiles ; and this inspection led 
to propositions of exchange, which cannot fail to be very 
useful to both establishments. Ours has been enriched, 
by this exchange, with objects from countries with which 
we have no communication, but which have been visited 
by French travellers, as Pennsylvania, Carolina, and New 
Orleans, countries from which MM. Lesueur Milbert, 
Bose, Leconte, Barabino, and others, have brought their 
productions to the Museum of Paris. The Antilles have 
been explored by MM. Plee, L’Herminier, Ricord, Poey, 
&c. ; Cayenne, by Leschenault ; Brazil, by Langsdorf, 
Vauthier, Lalande, Aug. St Hilaire; Paraguay, by 
D’Orbigny : this last traveller has also made a fine collec- 
tion of the reptiles of Chile, a country also visited by MM. 
Lesson and Garnot, and by Gay. New Holland has 
afforded several new species, discovered by Peron, Lesson, 
and especially by Quoy and Gaimard ; others have been 
collected, in the last expeditions round the world, in New- 
Guinea, in Waigiou, the Philippines, the Mariannes, and 
