DUVERNOY, GEORGES-LOUIS, a distinguished anatomist and zoologist. He was born at Montbelliard, then a dependency of the luchy of Wurtemburg, now an arrondissement in the department of Doubs in France, on the 6th of August 1777, and died at Paris on the let of March 1855. His father practised as a physician at Monthelliard, Ind he was brought up to• the same profession. He commenced his studies at Stutgardt in 1792; but the principality of Moutbelliard having been ceded to the French in 1793, ho was compelled to finish his studies at Strasbourg. He subsequently went to Paris, where he raduated in 1801. In 1802 he was associated with 31. C. Dumeril in reporting the lectures of Georges Cuvier, then in tho zenith of his reputation. The Lecons d'Anatomie comparees' were concluded and published in 1805. On the completion of this labour he married, and, as natural science afforded him little hope of support for a family, he retired to his native town to practise his profession. In 1809 he was recalled to Paris, and named by De Fontanes joint professor of zoology in the faculty of science. Again however he returned to practise his profession in Montbelliard, and for nearly twenty years this distinguished zoologist pursued its harassing and laborious duties.
In 1827 the chair of natural history in the faculty of science iu Strasbourg was offered him : this he accepted ; and from this time to his death we find him pursuing with unwearied industry zoological researches. In 1837 he was offered the chair of natural history in the College of France, vacated by the death of his great master, Cuvier. This chair he accepted, and held till 1850, when the death of De Blainvillo having created a vacancy in the chair of comparative anatomy he was appointed to it, and held it for four years. Duvernoy's contributions to zoological science are extremely numerous. In his writings and lectures be was more remarkable for the accuracy and extent of his knowledge than for the novelty and originality of his views. He was an industrious compiler, and was an extensive con tributor to the Dictionnaire do Sciences Naturelles,' and also to the ‘Dictionnaire Universelle d'Histoire Naturelle.'