A synopsis of natural history : embracing the natural history of animals, with human and general animal physiology, botany, vegetable physiology, and geology / translated from the latest French edition of C. Lemmonnier, with additions from the works of Cuvier, Dumaril, Lacepede, etc., and arranged as a text book for schools by Thomas Wyatt.

  • Lemonnier, Céran.
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A synopsis of natural history : embracing the natural history of animals, with human and general animal physiology, botany, vegetable physiology, and geology / translated from the latest French edition of C. Lemmonnier, with additions from the works of Cuvier, Dumaril, Lacepede, etc., and arranged as a text book for schools by Thomas Wyatt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    the weakness of a merely entertaining selection, shall rigidly retain all which bears upon the ruling feature of a proper Natural History—the feature of a lucidas ordo. There can be no doubt that, absolutely considered, the tabular form would be the best for such a purpose; and ac- cordingly we find that in France, M. Lemmonnier has ac- quired much celebrity by his well arranged system, on which this work is based. But what, in a scientific point of view, is certainly an ad- vantage, has, in other respects, a very serious inconvenience. The tabular form, where the matter, as in Natural History, is essentially complex, and subdivision is piled, as it were, upon division, will admit of little or no letter press, and re- quires that the whole pass into the hands of the engraver. The expense is of course enormous, and renders the book a dead letter, as far as regards its common academical use. In the volume now offered, the author has ventured so to modify that of M. Lemmonnier, as to dismiss the body of his tableaux, retaining as much of their spirit as was compatible with the objects in view, and giving many useful additions from the works of Cuvier, Dumaril, Lacepede, and other well known naturalists. The Botanic System of Lin- naeus is preserved, as in the French original. For a further progress in the science, Dr Comstock's In- troduction to Botany may be confidently recommended, as a valuable work for Students. Also to Students in Geology, who wish to extend their inquiries, we would respectfully recommend Lyell's Elements of Geology, for a first book, and his larger work, entitled, Lyell's Principles of Geolo- gy, both of which are written in the most attractive style, and abundantly illustrated by coloured plates, maps, &c, just published by Kay & Brother, Chestnut street, Philadelphia. (See London Quarterly Review and Silliman's Journal of Science, for notices of Mr Lyell's works.)