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Show :xxiv PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDlTlON. foreign naturalists seem to have felt the ~1ecess}ty of est~hlish· ing divisions in those immense genera, In whiCh su~h mcon· gruous species were formerly heaped together; their g.roups are now precise and well defined, their descriptions sufficiently detailed, their figures scrupulously exact even to the most minute characters and very frequently of the gt·eatest beauty. Scarcely any difli~ulty remains therefore in determining the identity of their species, and nothing hinders them from coming to an understanding with respect to the nomenclature. This unfortunately, has been almost neglected ; the names of the s~me genera, the same species, are multiplied as often as they are spoken of; and should this discord continue, the ~a.me chaos will be produced that previously existed, though ar1smg from a different cause. I have used every effort to compare and approximate these redundancies, and forgetting even my own little interest of author have often given names which seem to have been form- ' . ed expressly to avoid being compelled to avow the borro~zng of my divisions. But in order thoroughly to execute this un· dertaking, this pinax of the animal kingdom, which becomes daily more and more necessary, to examine its proofs, and to.fix on the.definite nomenclature that would be adopted, by basmg it on sufficient figures and descriptions, requires more space than I can dispose of, and a time imperiously claimed by other works. It is in the "History of Fishes," whiah, assisted by M. Valenciennes, I have commenced publishing, that I intend to give an idea of what I think might be effected with respect to all parts of the science. This is a mere abridgement, a simple sketch-fortunate will 1 be if I succeed in rendering it correct in all its parts. Various descriptions of a similar kind have been published on some of the classes, and I have carefully studied them all, in order to perfect my own. The'' Mammalogie" of M. Desma· rest, that of M. Lesson, the "Traite sur les Dents des Qua· drupedes" of M. Frederick Cuvier, the English translation of my first edition by Mr Griffith enriched by numerous additions chiefly by Hamilton Smith, the new edition of the '' Ma- PREl~ ACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. XXV nuel d'Ornithomalogie" ofM. Temminck, the ''Ornithological Fragments" of M. Wagler, the ''Description of Reptiles" by the late Merrem, and the dissertation on the same subject by M. Fitzinger, were principally useful to me for the Vertebrated animals. The "Histoire des Animaux sans V ertebres" of M. de Lamarck, and the'' Malacologie" ofl\1. de Blainville, were also of great use to me for the Mollusca. To these I have added the new views and facts contained in the numerous and learned writings of Messrs Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, father and son, Savigny, Temminck, Lichtenstein, Kuhl, Wilson, Horsfield, Vigors, Swainson, Gray, Ord, Say, Harlan, Charles Bonaparte, Lamouroux, Mitchell, Lesueur, and many other able and studious men, whose names will be carefully mentioned, wherever I speak of the subjects they have described. The fine collection of engravings which have appeared within the last twelve years, have allowed me to indicate a greater number of species, nor have I failed to make ample use of the opportunity. I must particularly acknowledge what I owe on this score, to the "Histoire des Mammiferes" of MM. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and Frederick Cuvier, the "Planches Coloriees" of Messrs Temminck and Laugier, the ''Gal erie des Oiscaux" of M. Vieillot, the new edition of the "Oiseaux d' AlIemagne" of M. Nauman, the Birds of the United States of Messrs Wilson, Ord, and Charles Bonaparte( I), the great works of M. Spix and of the prince Maximilian de Wied on the animals of Brazil, and to those of M. F erussac on the Mollusca. The plates and zoological descriptions of the travels of Messrs Freycinet and Duperrey, given in the first by Messrs Quoy and Gaymard, and in the second by Messrs Lesson and Garnot, present, also, many new objects. The same should be said of the animals of Java, by M. Horsfield. Though on a smaller scale, new figures of rare species are to be found in the "Memoires du Museum," in the'' Annales des Sciences Naturelles," in the different dictionaries of the natural sciences, in (1) The work of M. Audubon upon the llir<.ls of North America, which surpasses all others in magnificence, was unknown to me ti.ll after the whole of that part which u·eats of birds was printed. VoL. I.-(4) |