AN OLD NATURALIST CONRAD GESNER. 



5 



natural history, filled with simple but spirited pictures of animals, 

 did much to educate the critical powers of the public. 



We can not appreciate the educational value of his work with- 

 out tracing it into other fields, and studying its influence on con- 

 temporary art. 



Before the day of photography success in drawing living 

 animals depended to a great degree upon the study of earlier at- 

 tempts, upon the imitation of their successes, and the correction 

 of their failures and shortcomings ; and the success of Gesner's 

 draughtsmen, who had few models to copy, was very notable. 

 Their attempts to draw strange and unfamiliar animals are not 

 always happy, but most of the drawings of familiar forms are full 

 of life and spirit, even after they have been interpreted by the 

 wood engraver, who unquestionably failed to render them with 

 perfect accuracy. 



Little is known about the makers of the drawings. Gesner 

 says he made some of the originals himself, and also employed 

 several draughtsmen, who lived in his house and gave him all 

 their service. He also says most of the cuts were drawn from life 

 under his supervision, and that he gives the original source of all 

 that are copied or supplied by friends or correspondents. 



Like most authors of illustrated works on natural history, he 

 found his own standard of accuracy hard to reach, and he says : 



Fig. 3. 



" I admit that all the illustrations are not well drawn, but this is 

 not the place for explanations. Most of them are pretty fair, or at 

 least tolerable, especially those of the quadrupeds, which may be 

 considered the best." 



The woodcuts made from these drawings are remarkable ex- 

 amples of the skill of the old wood engravers, and they have high 

 claims on the interest of students of the history of their art. 



All attention is concentrated on the central figure, and few of 

 the cuts have any accessories whatever; but they are not dia- 



