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, were announced. To provide 
materials for his creations, he relied not solely on his 
own observation, but resorted to the vague accounts 
of travellers, and the still more uncertain authority of 
vulgar rumor, in both of which ho 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 known and recently published by American natu- 
ralists. It was in this way, undoubtedly, that M. Fe- 
russac was induced to apply M. Rafinescpie's names to 
several species of Helix previously described by Mr. 
Say ; an unfortunate compliance with M. Rafinescpie'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 relinquish 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 
