94 
EE VIEWS. 
It now but remains for us, having so briefly glanced at the classifi¬ 
cation adopted in this work, to pronounce our opinion as to its merits. 
Before doing so we would observe, that for some time past we have been 
quite in a despairing mood about hand-books of zoology. Suppose a 
young, ardent student, who fancies he is to become a second Cuvier after 
a six months’ course of lectures, puts to us a question that any fool might 
ask, but even a wise man cannot answer, i. e. “Recommend me a good 
elementary book on zoology, one that will begin at the very beginning, 
and teach me step by step the knowledge that I want.” We confess 
that this query puts us completely hors de combat. Supposing expense 
to be out of the question, and we recommend Owen’s two volumes of 
Lectures—well, in the one volume he would be all at once beyond his 
depth, and in the other he would learn a good deal that he must unlearn 
very quickly; and so he loses both time and patience. Then Rymer Jones’s 
“Outlines of the Animal Kingdom” is, though an agreeable and withal 
nicely written book, very deficient in many most important subjects. 
That the Professor of Anatomy in our sister University of Cambridge 
must have felt this difficulty is quite evident from the fact that he has 
translated these volumes, and if he means them to be used as a class- 
book, even by the enlightened alumni of his University, we fear he will 
find himself wofully disappointed. True, if they would buy the volumes 
for the sake of the hundred pages or so of introductory chapters, they 
would and should acquire much useful knowledge; but the rest would 
be to them like a huge dictionary, into which they might sometimes 
look with feelings of reverence mingled with dread. So far, it will be 
evident, we do not consider this work as any great acquisition to our list 
of elementary works ; but still we do regard it as an acquisition, and that 
a most important and valuable one, to the number of our scientific ma¬ 
nuals. 
While we would not put this work in the hands of a tyro, yet we 
would cordially recommend it to every one who either teaches zoology 
or has made some progress in its study. Pew have had more experience 
in teaching than the Professor of Zoology in the University of Leyden, 
and these volumes contain the result of all his experience, ready to be 
used by every one who is capable of doing so. 
Is information wanted on any portion of that living army of species 
which inhabits our globe ? Well, here, within the compass of these vo¬ 
lumes, it is to be found, or at least a reference to where it may be found is 
given; and naturalists who are busily employed on some special subject 
will find this work quite a necessary one on their book-shelves. We 
know that by such it is very much esteemed on the Continent, and we 
have no doubt whatever that, when known, it will be equally well 
thought of here. We shall be disappointed if it does not—to use Professor 
Clark’s words, “from its scientific value and the interest of its historical 
and other notices, as well as from the continuous references to the works 
of original observers—secure for itself, beyond the walls of Universities, 
a reception not unworthy of its author’s great name.” 
