These, then, form three, indications we ought to calf them, of as many unknown carnivorous animals belonging to the Paris deposit, respecting which we must for the present be content with the obscure knowledge which we have, until farther discoveries of analogous bones or of more parts of the skeletons, shall enable M. Cuvier to render his investigations more complete. Our readers will, of course, bestow implicit reliance on the accuracy of this naturalist, who, in no instance, has appeared to have been led away b) his imagination, or by a wish to make new animals which he did not find; but who has, on the contrary, bestowed on the subject a degree of patience and self restraint by no means common in these investigations, and very little like the proceedings of Faujas de St. Fond, Volta, and many others who have entered on the same ab struse subject. At the same time, we held it necessary to point out what the extent of the discoveries and of the evidence in these particular cases was, lest our readers should imagine that skeletons like that of the Mastodon of America, or the' Megatherium in the museum of Ma drid, had been collected and arranged. Our space would not allow us to do the same with regard to the whole cata logue that we have given; as we should have been ob liged to give an abridgment of a most extensive work, that might almost in itself have occupied half of one of our vol umes. We can only say that, with respect to the others, some of the evidences are more extensive and some less; but that, in no instance, has any improper or rash use been madeof them. No chimeras have been constructed by
associating the parts of different animals; but every an alogy has been carefully traced to the ascertained living spe cies, and not a step taken towards the adaptation of bones, or the assignment of characters, without justifiable cause,. We, in fact, preferred selecting the worst cases, that our readers might judge of the caution and sobriety with which all these investigations had been conducted. Had less of these qualities been visible, naturalists would have withheld their confidence from what Cuvier has declared to be done, instead of now giving almost an implicit as sent to every thing which he chooses to assert. Of such value is it to prove, in all the sciences, as in morals, that we are only actuated by the love of truth.
Of the ?Imphibious Quadrupeds.
The amphibious animals arranged under this head do not belong to the division before treated of, or to those arnphibia which include the tortoises and crocodiles. They are distinguished by having four paws, in the form of fins, and are frequently provided with unguiculated toes. This tribe includes the Phoca, Trichecus, Duyong, and Lamantin.
Very few fossil remains of these have been discovered, and those that have are limited to the Lamantin and the Phoca. There is only one situation in which it is certain that they have been found; and, from other circumstances, there is proof that this is a marine deposit, as it also con tains some of the bones of whales, or at least of some cetaceous fishes.