Retrofped of Demeftie Literature. — Zoology. 
he found his materials fo much increafed 
upon his hands, by new acquifitions from 
various quarters, as to makeit neceflary 
for him either to extend his defigned limits, 
or to exclude thofe fpecies, which, from 
their extreme minutenefs, are ufvally de-- 
nominated microfcopic fhells. He has 
chofenthe latter alternative, that he might 
not deviate from his original prcpofals to 
his fubfcribers ; and offers the prefent vo- _ 
Jome to the public with an aflurance, that 
nothing of material confequence, either 
in his own colle&tion, or the cabinets of 
his friends, has been omitted. 
‘* Elements of Botany: or Outlines of 
the Natural Hiftory of Vegetables. By 
BENJAMIN SMITH Barton, M. D. Pro- 
feffor of Materia Medica, Natural Hif- 
tory, and Botany, in the Univerfity of 
Pennfylvania.”” 
Though an American work, its appear- 
ance in this country, revifed and correéted, 
with the addition of Britith examples and 
occafional notes by the Englifh editor, will 
authorize us to mention in this place the 
appearance of fo excellent an elementary 
work. Dr. B, divides ic into three parts. 
The firft contains a pretty extenfive deli- 
neation of a plant, beginning with the 
root, and ending with the various organs 
of frutification; the fecond relates te ve- 
getable phyfiology ; amd the third 1s con- 
fined to an explanation of the clafics and 
orders in the Linnzan {vftem. ‘Tne work 
is written in a very pleafing ityle, and, al- 
though we have many very refpe&table in- 
troduétions to Bo'any in our own country, 
the prefent will be found to contain much 
novel inftruction, placed in a clear and 
ftriking light. 
The learned’ Prefident of the Linnzean 
Society has favored the Public with the 
third vol. of ** Flora Britannica.” The mu- 
feum, library, and manuicripts of the great 
Swedifh Naturalift could not poffibly have 
fallen into more able and induitrious hands 
than thofe of Dr. Smith. ‘To found judg- 
ment, he adds a molt penetrating and dif- 
criminative obfervation: neither feduced 
on the one hand by every fpecious obfer- 
vation ; nor too wedded to any favorite 
and received fyftem to be indifferent to its 
defeéts, Dr. Smith lends a willing, though 
a cautious ear, to any fuggeltions for its* 
improvement ; and there is no individual 
exifting, perhaps, to whom the fcience of 
botany is -under greater obligations than 
himfelf. We truft that he will enjoy 
health to profecute and complete his ar- 
duous undertaking. . 
“* MufcologieHibernica Specilegium,Auc- 
tore Dawson Turner, A.M. &c. &c,” 
648 
The accuracy of Mr. Turner, as a bo- 
tanift, has already been evinced by the 
fuccels of his former inveftigations on the 
moft obfcure part of the feience: the pre- 
fent work, on the mofles of Ireland, will 
increafe the reputation he fo defervedly 
acquired before. 
ZOOLOGY. 
The feventh vclume is publifhed of the 
“ Linnean Tranfaclions.’ It contains 
twenty-one articjes ; ten on zoology, and 
eleven on botany. 
Articles 5 and 20, contain a defcription 
of Bas Frontalis, a new fpecies from India, 
by Mr, Lambert. This animal, called 
Gyall, in its native country, inhabits the 
hills which feparate the province of Chit- 
tagang, in Bengal, from the country of 
Arracan. The male is not quite fotallas 
our bull, but very courageous and power- 
ful in his contefts with beafts of prey. 
The female is employed in agriculture, 
and found to be more traétable than the 
buffalo. ‘Gyalls are eafily caught and do- 
metticated by means of the tame ones, 
which are purpofely intermixed with them, 
Balls, of a certain compofition, very 
grateful to their palate, are thrown to 
them, and the wild animais, aiter atime, 
fuffer themfelves to be driven with the 
tame ones’ by the country people into their 
villages. Article 21 contains adefcription 
of a large {pecics of a Rat, a native of the 
Eaft-Indies, by Captain Thomas Hard- 
wicke, with a figure of the natural fize. 
This is the Mus Malabaricus of Pennant 
and Shaw, here called Mus Giganteus, as 
it 1s not peculiar to Malabar. In article 
18, Mr. Martyn has offered feveral curious 
obfervations on fome fpecies of Britith 
quadrupeds, birds and fifhes. The ani- 
mals illuftrated in this mafterly paper, are 
two quadrupeds, Mus meflorius and Sorex 
fodiens ; four birds, Emberiza cirlus, Mo. 
tacilla provincialis, Charadrius hiatacula, 
and Larusiij:bundus; and three fithes, Ce- 
polarube(fcens, Sparus niger, and Cyclop- 
terus bimaculatus. Article 4. Defcription 
of the Britifh lizards, and of anew Bri- 
tifh {pecies of viper, by Revett Shepherd, 
F.L.S.. Mr. S. defcribes four land and 
two water Jizards: two of them are cer- 
tainly new fpecies. The new viper Mr. 
Shepherd calls czruleus, from the ele- 
gant azure blue of its belly. Article 6. 
In this Mr. Racket has defcribed, and 
illuftrated with a figure cf the natural 
fize, the efox faurus. Dr. Roxburzh’s 
account of the Tuffeh and Arrindy filk- 
worm of Bengal (Article 3.), with co- 
loured figures of the caterp'liars and the 
cocoons, 1s a very curious and intereftins 
nae . article. 
