HISTORY OF ENTOMOLOGY, 447 
4. Era ofLinne, or of the Alary System. We are now 
arrived at that period in the history of Natural Know- 
ledge, especially of Entomology, in which it received that 
form, with respect to its general outline, which, amidst 
many lesser mutations, has been preserved ever since. 
Swammerdam had altogether deserted the system of 
Aristotle, and Ray mixed it with that of his predecessor. 
But a brilliant star soon appeared in the North a , which 
was destined to be the harbinger of a brighter day than 
had ever before illuminated the path of the student of 
the works of God. The illustrious philosopher whose 
name distinguishes this new era, imbibed a taste for 
Entomology almost as early as for Botany 5 ; and though 
the latter became his favourite, and absorbed his prin- 
cipal attention, he did not altogether neglect the former. 
In the first edition of his Systema Natural, published in 
1735, and contained in only fourteen folio pages , he 
began to arrange the three kingdoms of nature after his 
own conceptions. But this initiatory sketch, as might 
be expected, was very imperfect ; and with respect to 
insects, instead of an improvement upon his predecessors, 
was extremely inferior to what Ray had effected; for he 
puts into one Order (to which he gives the name of 
Angiopterd) the Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, Hymcnoptera, 
and Diptera. In this work, however, Generic Characters 
were first given. In successive editions he continued to 
improve upon this outline : in the fourth he finally set- 
tled the number and denominations of his Orders ; and 
a Ray died in 1705, and Linne was born in 1707. 
b When a boy he attempted to introduce wasps and bees into his 
father's garden, to the great annoyance of the old gentleman.— Stce- 
ver's Life of Linnans, 4. c Ibid. 75. 
