MEMOIR OF RONDELET. 33 



they inhabit, kind of food, &c. ; 2d, On the parts, 

 substance, figure, size, taste, smell, colour, &c. of 

 fishes ; 3d, On the particular parts of fishes and their 

 differences, such as the head, eyes, ears, mouth, 

 rostrum, jaws, teeth, branchiae, heart, &c. ; 4th, 

 Action, and its different kinds ; generation, respira- 

 tion, &c. &c. It is asserted by Cuvier that Ronde- 

 let made little addition to what was previously 

 known of the anatomy of fishes, and no one can 

 peruse the four books of his work just spoken of, 

 without readily assenting to this statement. Indeed, 

 tliis portion is the least valuable of the whole, and 

 comparatively little of it seems to be derived from 

 his own observation, although he states, oftener 

 than once, that the number of fishes he dissected 

 was very great. Having discussed their generalities, 

 he proceeds in the fifth book to treat briefly of the 

 order which he designs to observe in describing the 

 species, and then enters upon the descriptions. In 

 the first four books, he informs us, he followed the 

 steps of Aristotle and Theophrastus ; but in giving 

 the descriptions and figures of individual species, it 

 was a matter of long and serious consideration what 

 order he should adopt. He was long in doubt 

 whether he should commence with the mugil, as 

 Galenus has done, or by some other which might 

 be considered as a type among its kind, as the 

 scarus among those that live among rocks, or such 

 as are considered delicious articles of food, as the 

 sole and sturgeon. At last he came to the conclu- 

 sion that it would be most convenient to begin with 

 c 



