Scientific Reviews. 433 
haps more so as a whole than other branches of natural history, yet 
though it never claimed the importance which was given to the 
study of the larger forms which adorn the earth’s surface, or tower 
in aerial flight above the loftiest mountains, yet it had become a 
matter of regret, that when in very modern times a map had been 
drawn up for the delineation of the animal kingdom, neither the 
place which the fish should occupy, nor the manner in which they 
should arrange themselves, could be decided upon. 
The period of Gesner and Aldrovandi, and the commencement 
of our knowledge of foreign fish, extended by the travels of Sloane, 
Catesby, Marsigli, Vlaming, Plumer, &c. with the newly acquired 
knowledge of the Chinese and Javanese works on fishes, gave ori- 
gin to the methodical arrangements of Ray and Willoughby, and 
led to the publication of the great systems of Artedi, of Linnzus, 
the two Gronovius’, Hasselquist, Kleen, and of their successors 
Pennant and Pallas. — , 
The great scientific voyages of Commerson, Sonnerat, Banks, 
Solander, Forskal, Thunberg, and Bloch,—the additions made by 
Risso, Rafinesque, Viviani, Montague, Buchanan, Quoy and Gai- 
-mard, and Lesson and Garnot, were at the very first outset the 
foundation of a philosophical method of investigation, which as- 
sumed a greater developement and a more important aspect with 
each successive research. We are not, we think, arrogating teo 
much for our own country, when we say that the philosophic zoo- 
logy of the 18th century sprung from the labours of Cheselden and 
Hunter, and that their researches first gave the impulse to the suc- 
cessful genius of Camper, of Haller, Monro, and Vicq D’Azyr. 
This is the school whose labours have, in the 19th century, been 
followed up by those of Blainville, Oken, Goldfuss, Spix, Carus, 
Meckel, Kuhl, Desmoulins, Sir E. Home, Tiedemann, Rudelphi, 
Humboldt, and the more splendid generalizations of Geoffroy St. 
Hilaire and of Serres. 
We cannot say of the much celebrated author of the work we are 
now discussing, that he had any particular predilection for that branch 
of the animal kingdom upon which he is now throwing so much light. 
From the imperfect glance which we have taken of the progress of 
ichthyology, it will be perceived that it was gradually and irresistibly 
tending to assume a classification of some stability, and that only the 
labour of a methodical and persevering mind was wanted to render 
the natural history of fish as complete as that of any other branch 
of the animal kingdom ; and there was an intellectual pleasure that 
remained for the naturalist who should trace the beautiful relations 
by which the creative power had linked the sparkling and various- 
coloured images of the deep, and connect the fantastic shapes of 
small and lively creatures, or the more bulky forms of large fish, 
that sport and feed in the continental waters, and in that vast oceanic 
plain that covers nearly two-thirds of the terrestrial surface. 
It was the accurate investigations made into the anatomical struec- 
ture of other branches of the animal Hngsone was the light 
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