46 INTRODUCTION. 



quoting their works, and he treated every object which 

 he met with, even the most familiar and best known, as 

 if then for the first time discovered. His passion for 

 constituting new genera and species increased to a 

 confirmed monomania, under the influence of which, old 

 genera were divided and subdivided, the number of 

 species prodigiously enlarged, and new animals, never 

 seen except by himself, Avere announced. To provide 

 materials for liis creations, he relied not solely on his 

 o-\vn observation, but resorted to the vague accounts 

 of travellers, and the still more uncertain authority of 

 vulgar rumor, in both of which he credulously con- 

 fided ; and however extraordinary it may seem, some 

 of his species and even genera have no better foundation. 

 He adopted also, the practice of sending to naturalists 

 in Europe, with his own specific names appended, ob- 

 jects which had been already characterized here, and 

 were knoAvn and recently published by American natu- 

 rahsts. It was in tliis way, undoubtedly, that M. Fe- 

 russac was induced to apply M. Rafinesque's names to 

 several species of Helix previously described by Mr. 

 Say ; an unfortunate compliance with M. Rafinesque's 

 pretensions, which has caused much confusion. 



These proceedings of M. Rafinesque very soon caused 

 other naturalists to withdraw their confidence, and, 

 sooner or later, to rehnquish all intercourse with him. 

 As his opinions no longer possessed authority, his writ- 

 ings, now become very numerous, were refused admis- 

 sion into the journals. The same reasons prevented 



