RISE AND PROGRESS OF ZOOLOGY. 73 
diced by the appearance of the thirteenth edition of 
the Systema Nature, “ enlarged and reformed” by 
Dr. Gmelin.* It is unnecessary to say that the worthy 
editor was one of those admirers of the great Swede, 
who departed not from the letter of his master, and 
that consequently he admits scarcely any of the im- 
provements made by his more judicious followers ; 
nor has Gmelin (probably from not having had the 
use of a rich national museum, like that of France) 
endeavoured to unravel the innumerable errors of 
his predecessors. His sole object was to concentrate 
their labours ; and in this he has shown, if not judg- 
ment, at least great andsingular research and industry-. 
It unfortunately happens, that the odium of those 
errors, which he had probably no means of detecting, 
has been thrown upon him, and his real merits com- 
pletely overlooked. It may fairly be questioned 
whether, in regard to the nomenclature of species, 
there are not to the full as many errors in the Régne 
Animal, as there is in the compilation before us. 
The time, in fact, had even then arrived, when it be- 
came utterly impossible for any one individual, who 
undertook to illustrate the whole animal kingdom, 
to examine the characters and the synonyms of 
species: he must, in numberless instances, repose 
on the opinions of others; and consequently must 
lay himself open to the charge, however severe, of 
perpetuating error. Gmelin, as a compiler, and he 
pretends to nothing beyond, is neither inferior to 
those who preceded or to those who followed him ; 
* J. F. Gmelin. Caroli a Linné, Systema Nature per Regna 
Tria Nature. Editio decima tertia, aucta, reformata. Cura 
J. Fred. Gmelin. Lipsizw, 1788. 3 vols. (in 10 parts) 8vo. 
