]885.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 43 



Some eminent disciples of Linnreus }'et prevailed, j)articularly 

 in entomology. Among them were Thunbcrg, one of the ^ 

 master's most notable followers, though identified with botany 

 mainly; Miillcr, whose excolleiit Fauna of Denmark and Norway 

 was published in 1775; Forster, the companion of Captain Cook, 

 who wrote on insects, including a Catalogue of British Insects, 

 1770-1; and Villers, who made an attempt, even at the late period 

 of 1789, to reduce all the genera of Fabricius to the standard of 

 Linnaeus. 



Schrank, " Enumeraiio InKectomm Austrice Ifidigenorum," 

 1781, 8vo, proved an original investigator and systemist. 



Two important illustrated works of this period are those of 

 Olivier, " Natural History of Insects," Paris, 1789-1808, five vol- 

 nmes, 4to; and Reaumur, "Genera of Insects of Linnajus and 

 Fabricius," 1789, 4to. The latter especially has beautifully 

 drawn figures. 



The Aurelian of Moses Harris is conceded to be the most ex- 

 cellent work up to that time. Tlie full title is: "The Au- 

 relian; or Natural History of English Insects, namely, Moths 

 and Butterflies," London, '1787, folio. Several other quartos and 

 octavos were published previously. Drury's specimens were 

 handsomely illustrated, as is well known, by this notable artist. 

 Albin, Weeks, and Donovan are also on record as responsible for 

 more or less valuable works. Cramer published in 1779 a 

 treatise on exotic lepidoptera. Unfinished by Cramer, it was 

 completed by StoU; comprising, in the whole, 44'^ plates. A 

 fifth volume'^is wholly by Stoll— Amsterdam, 1791, one volume, 

 4to — and is enriched by several representations of larvge and 

 pupge of Surinam. This work is considered of mucii value. 



Pallas, "Miscellanea Zoologica," Berlin, 1776, 4to, com- 

 menced a crusade against Ellis and his- advanced ideas of the 

 nature of corals and i)olyps in general, maintaining the notion 

 that they were vegetables. 



Ellis, in his indignant state of mind, wrote to Linn^us: 

 " There is now printing in Holland a book on zoophytes, by Dr. 

 Pallas, of Berlin, who was two years in England. This gentle- 

 man, I find, has treated both you and me with a freedom unbe- 

 coming so young a man, etc." Some animus of personal nature 

 comes to light in a further perusal of his letter. 



Pallas was attached to the Court of St. Petersburg for many 

 years, and travelled extensively in Asia and Europe. He is 

 credited with having described the objects he saw with more than 

 usual accuracy. He Avas a good comparative anatomist, and 

 Laving no other occupation, but devoted to natural history, and 

 living to an advanced age, he accomplished much, both in 

 botany and mineralogy, as well as in zoology. Catharine II. 



