THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN SCIENCE 87 



especially numerous, because of their symbolic interest and 

 because of the excellent way in which they stood captivity. 

 They were used at times as executioners and their presence 

 near the palace of an Italian tyrant had doubtless a measure 

 of political and social effectiveness. A present of lion cubs is 

 frequently mentioned in diplomatic documents. The city of 

 Florence also kept leopards and other wild beasts, employing 

 a special keeper. 



By the close of the fifteenth century large menageries were 

 in existence. Matarazzo, the chronicler of Perugia, tells us 

 that: "It belongs to the position of the great to keep horses, 

 dogs, falcons, and other birds, court jesters, singers and 

 foreign animals." The point for our purpose is that the 

 presence of elephants, giraffes, zebras and other strange 

 animals helped to open men's minds to the wonders of 

 animate nature and to acquaint them with the various sorts 

 of animal life. True it is that no attempt was made to im- 

 prove on the Aristotelian system of zoological classification, 

 but at the same time a more rational and scientific attitude 

 toward animal life developed. People no longer believed in 

 the ridiculous myths and fables of the medieval bestiaries or 

 natural history treatises. There are, moreover, interesting 

 evidences of successful efforts towards scientific breeding 

 and improvement of stock in connection with the stud of 

 Francesco Gonzaga, duke of Mantua, and along this special 

 line considerable advances were undoubtedly made. 11 



The Swiss, Conrad von Gesner (1516-1565), must have 

 been aided in his studies on natural history by the existence 

 of these zoological gardens. His great work, "Historia Ani- 

 malium, " is indicative of the decline of the medieval absurd- 

 ities, and proved of great educational value in the populariz- 

 ing of scientific facts concerning the larger animals (Fig. 10). 

 But there was no immediate advance toward a more scien- 

 tific classification, even with the work of Gesner. In contrast 



11 Burckhardt, J., loc. cit. The further account of an anthropological 

 menagerie given by this author is of interest in this connection. 



