489 
Letters, Announcements, fyc. 
Indische Zoologie ’), “was begun in the year 1769. The 
descriptive part fell to my share : the expense of the plates 
was divided between Mr. Banks, now Sir Joseph Banks, 
Baronet ; John Gideon Loten ; Esq.; a governor in Ceylon; 
and myself. Twelve only were engraved and published : soon 
after which, the undertaking appeared so arduous that the 
design was given over/ - ’ . ... u I prevailed on my two friends 
to unite with me in presenting the learned John Reinhold 
Forster with the plates. I also bestowed on him three others, 
engraven at my own expense, before the work was dropped. 
These were never published in England; but when Dr. Forster 
left our island, he took the whole with him, and in 1781 printed, 
at Halle, in Saxony, an edition very highly improved, and 
translated into Latin and German. He prefixed to it a most 
elaborate lucubration de Finibus et Indole Aeris, Soli, Ma¬ 
ris que Indici; described the subjects of the three additional 
plates; and inserted, after the description of the fifteenth plate, 
a most learned dissertation on the genus of the Birds op Pa¬ 
radise, and on the Phcenix. He added several notes; and 
at the end presented his readers with a Faunula of the qua¬ 
drupeds and birds of the extensive region of India and its 
Islands.” It will be observed that Pennant makes no claim 
whatever to be the author of this f Specimen Faunulse Indicae/ 
as published in Latin in the 4 Indische Zoologie; ’ and it can 
only be regarded as an act of courtesy on the part of Forster 
that Pennant’s name was inserted as author of this Latin list. 
The descriptive part mentioned by Pennant as his share, must 
have referred, if it was in this book at all as published by 
Forster, to the first portion; for there is no “ descriptive part ” 
in the list of names of quadrupeds and birds. I cannot see, 
therefore, how it will be possible to reject this portion of the 
i Indische Zoologie,’ when the rest, containing descriptions 
by Forster of various species, is accepted, “ and his names 
have always been in use.” P. L. S. Muller is now, I believe, 
universally quoted for the species named by him; so is Bod- 
daert; and so also should be Forster; and whenever an intel¬ 
ligible reference is given by him to the species he intends to 
characterize, it appears to me the name he bestows must be 
