In 1788 and 1790, the Count de Lacepcde published his Histuire Naturelle des Quadrupedes Ovipaires et Serpens. This work had been projected by Butron as a sequel to his Natural History, general and particular, and he had col lected considerable materials towards its composition ; but finding himself unable to pursue the arduous task, lie de puted Lacepede to supply his place, and caused the ma terials to be put into his hands. The result spewed how ably Buffon had selected his successor; for, though since this work was published much additional information has been obtained, and many scientific improvements intro duced into systematic Herpetology, the work of La cepede will long be regarded as one of the most classical and elegant publications on this part of natural history.
The whole work is divided into two nearly equal parts, which may be considered as distinct and independent trea tises, each being prefaced by a preliminary discourse. The first part, with which we alone are at present con cerned, treats of oviparous quadrupeds ; and these are classed under four general heads, tortoises, lizards, ovid parous quadrupeds without tails, and two-footed reptiles, each being more or less subdivided. The tortoises have only two subdivisions: 1st, Sea tortoises, of which six species are described ; and 2d, Fresh seater and land tor toises, of which there are twenty species noticed. The lizards are divided into, 1st, Those which have flat tails, and five toes before, including four species of crocodile, the dragon, tupinambis, and five other species; 2d, Those which have round tails, five toes before, and a crested back, comprehending the guana, the basilisk, the agama, and three other species ; 3d, Those that have round tails, five toes before, and fillets on the belly, containing eight species, among which are the cordylus and ameiva ; 4th, Those that have five toes before, but no transverse bands on the belly, including the chameleon, the skink, and twenty other species; 5th, Those having large imbricated scales on the under surface of the toes, containing the geckos and two other analogous species; 6th, Those that have only three or four toes, to which belong the seps and chalcides ; 7th, Those that have membranous wings, the dragon or flying lizard ; 8th, Those which have three or four toes on each fore foot, and four or five on each hind foot, including the salamander, ask, and four others.
Of the oviparous quadrupeds without tails, there are three subdivisions : 1st, Frogs having their heads and bodies angular and elongated, of which there are species; 2d, Tree frogs, having a small viscous pellet under each toe, comprehending seven species ; 3d, Toads with compact rounded bodies,•of which there are fourteen species, including the pipa, or Surinam toad. The last head, which is not subdivided, contains only two species.
This work of M. Lacepede was translated into Eng lish by Mr Kerr, and published at Edinburgh in 4 vols. 8vo. in 1802.
In 1792 was published at Erlang, the Historia Testu dinum of J. D. Schoepff, an excellent work, left imperfect by the death of its ingenious author.
We must not here omit to notice two ingenious publica tions in Latin on the physiology of reptiles, by Di Robert Townson : 1st, De Amphibiis, published at Gottingen in 1794 : and 2d, Observationes Physiologicce de Respiratione Amphibiorum, published at Vienna in 1796.
According to Daudin, the most natural classification of reptiles that has yet appeared is that of M. Alexandre Brongniart, published in 1799 in the Magazin Encyclo pedique. As we shall fully explain this classification, after having noticed the principal naturalists who have adopted and modified it, we shall here merely give an outline of this author's subdivisions. He distributes all reptiles under four general orders : Cheloniens, or tortoises, of which he makes two genera, Chelonia and Testudo, corresponding exactly thus far with the division of Lacepede ; 2d, Sau riens, of which there are nine genera, viz. Croeodilus, Iguana, Draco, Stellio, Gecko, Chameleo, Lacerta, Scineus, and Chalcides ; 3d, Ophidiens, or serpents; and 4th, Ba traciens, of which there are four genera, Rana, Bufo, Hyla, and Salamandra.
At the very commencement of the present century, M. Latrcille published L'Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles, the arrangement of which differs little from that of Lacepede, except in placing the Salamander under the same head with the frogs and toads, and a species of Proteus, which appears to be a tadpole of the water salamander, and the Siren, among the serpents. His generic characters, how ever, are more precise than those of Lacepede ; but his method, on the whole, is inferior to that of Brongniart. M. Latreille also published L'Histoire Naturelle des Sala mandres.