398 The History of Ichthyology 



from collections, and every one of which he could find drawings 

 made by others. 



That part which relates to the fishes of Germany is admi- 

 rably done. In the treatment of East Indian and American 

 fishes there is much guesswork and many errors of description 

 and of fact, for which the author was not directly responsible. 

 To learn to interpret the personal equation in the systematic 

 work of other men is one of the most delicate of taxonomic 

 arts. 



After the publication of these great folio volumes of plates, 

 Dr. Bloch began a systematic catalogue to include all known 

 species. This was published after his death by his collaborator, 

 the philologist, Dr. Johann Gottlob Schneider. This work, 

 "M. E. Blochii Systema Ichthyologia," contains 1519 species 

 of fishes, and is the most creditable compilation subsequent to 

 the death of Linnaeus. 



Even more important than the work of Bloch is that of the 

 Comte de La Cepede, who became with the progress of the 

 French Revolution, "Citoyen Lacepede," his original full name 

 being Bernard Germain Etienne de la Ville-sur-Illon, Comte 

 de La Cepede. His great work, ' ' Histoire Naturelle des Poissons, ' ' 

 was published originally in five volumes, in Paris, from 1798 

 to 1803. It was brought out under great difficulties, his mate- 

 rials being scattered, his country in a constant tumult. For 

 original material he depended largely on the collections and 

 sagacious notes of the traveler Commerson. Dr. Gill sums up 

 the strength and weakness of Lacepede 's work in these terms : 



"A work by an able man and eloquent writer even prone to 

 aid rhetoric by the aid of the imagination in absence of desirable 

 facts, but which because of undue confidence in others, default 

 of comparison of material from want thereof and otherwise, 

 and carelessness generally is entirely unreliable." 



The work of Lacepede had a great influence upon subse- 

 quent investigators, especially in France. A considerable num- 

 ber of the numerous new genera of Rafinesque were founded 

 on divisions made in the analytical keys of Lacepede. 



In 1803 and 1804, Dr. George Shaw published in London 

 his "General Zoology," the fishes forming part of volumes IV 

 and V. This is a poor compilation, the part concerning the 



