IR MEMOIR OP RONDELET, 



but, living ^ndely apart from each other, they seem: 

 to have, had : little or no intercourse or correspond-* 

 «ace on the subject of their common studies. — 

 These works present several features of much in- 

 terest, and have not only ejtercised considerable 

 influente on the past state of Ichthyology, but may 

 be consulted with advantage even by the naturalist 

 of the present day, when, it might have, been sup- 

 posed, every thing of value relating to such subjects 

 in writings of early date would have been transfused 

 ipto our own, and become part of the actually cur- 

 rent stream of knowledge. A Memoir of Salviani 

 has been prefixed to one of our former volumes on 

 Ichthyology, and we now proceed to give a similar 

 njotice of his. still more illustrious cotemporary,^. 

 Rondelet, who although he may be unknown.' even 

 b:y name to some: of our readers, was declared by 

 the most learned men of his day, in a formal in- 

 scription on the front of the. College of MontpeUier 

 recording his merits, to have been " ingenii fcecun- 

 diiate, et doctrinae uberitste, toto orhe claHssimtta.'* 



WiLjLi AM Rondelet was bom at Montpellier, a 

 city which has produced so many men of eminence, 

 on th^ 27th September, 1507. His father, John 

 Rondelet, was .an apothecary in Montpellier. His 

 mother'^ nam©; was Jane Renalde. de Monceau. He 

 appears to have been a verf delicate child from hia 

 birth, and a distressing disorder communicated to 

 him by his nurse, so shattered his constitution, that 

 there wa§t v.€jy little prpepect.of bis ever attaining 



