RISE AND PROGRESS OF ZOOLOGY. 79 
and as supplying those details which were not con- 
sistent with the conciseness of the Linnean plan. 
(34.) The name of Adanson* is recorded both in 
botany and zoology; not so much for the value of 
his works, as from his being among the first of those, 
who, like our countryman Lister, endeavoured to 
arrange shells with some regard to the structure of 
their animals. His love for natural history carried 
him to the coast of Senegal, the shells of which he 
has described, and tolerably well figured, in a sepa- 
rate volume, still of great value to the conchologist. 
We may here observe, that Adanson, like his master 
Buffon, was a declared enemy to the regularity and 
system which governed the Linnean nomenclature ; 
and that our author (proceeding on the plan of this 
school) calls his shells by Negro-French names. 
Thus, on the Voluta Cymbum of Linnzus, he be- 
stows the name of Yet; the Voluta Cymbiola is to 
be Phelan; and the Marginella lineata is called a 
Bobi! There is, in short, no end of such names as 
Lupon, Bitou, Salar, Mafau, (we take them at ran- 
dom,) Minjac, Sakem, Sadot, Pakel, and innume- 
rable others. This is the jargon which Buffon, 
influenced by his regard for elegance of diction and 
of phraseology, strove to substitute for the classic 
and expressive nomenclature of Linnzus! One is 
really surprised, in these days, to contemplate such 
folly, as proceeding from reasonable beings; did not 
prejudices equally great, but often far more hurtful, 
meet us at every step in our journey through life. 

* M. Adanson. Histoire Naturelle des Coquillages du 
Sénégal. Paris, 1757. 1 vol. 4to. 
