38 LAMARGEK, L1LS  LLEE AND WORK 
of creation still almost unknown—remained to be 
treated in such a course. A desire to comply with 
the wishes of his colleagues, members of the admin- 
istration, and without doubt, also, the consciousness 
of his powers as an investigator, determined M. 
de Lamarck: this task, so great, and which would 
tend to lead him into numberless researches; this 
friendless, unthankful task he accepted—courageous 
resolution, which has resulted in giving us immense 
undertakings and great and important works, among 
which posterity will distinguish and honor forever the 
work which, entirely finished and collected into seven 
volumes, is known under the name of Anitmaux sans 
Vertcbres.” 
Before his appointment to this chair Lamarck had 
devoted considerable attention to the study of conch- 
ology, and already possessed a rather large collection 
of shells. His last botanical paper appeared in 1800, 
but practically his botanical studies were over by 
1793- 
During the early years of the Revolution, namely, 
from 1789 to and including 1791, Lamarck published 
nothing. Whether this was naturally due to the 
social convulsions and turmoil which raged around the 
Jardin des Plantes, or to other causes, is not known. 
In 1792, however, Lamarck and his friends and col- 
leagues, Bruguiére, Olivier, and the Abbé Haiiy, 
founded the Journal d'Histoire Naturelle, which 
contains nineteen botanical articles, two on shells, ' 
besides one on physics, by Lamarck. These, with 
many articles by other men of science, illustrated by 
plates, indicate that during the years of social unrest 
and upheaval in Paris, and though France was also 
