niPPOLITO SALVIANI. 27 



be supplied in the words of the author. " After I 

 had formed the resolution of writing a history of 

 aquatic animals, being well aware of the difficulty of 

 the undertaking, I thought it would be advantageous 

 again, to examine with additional care, the authors, 

 both ancient and modern, who had treated of them, 

 and who had committed to writing any thing worthy 

 of notice. After carefully collecting all these parti- 

 culars, I arranged under their proper heads, In one 

 view, and in alphabetical order, what had previously 

 been widely scattered and existed in the midst of 

 confusion. When after much labour I had completed 

 this task, I found that I had executed a greater and 

 more useful Avork than I anticipated ; for besides 

 a vast collection of materials for my principal ob- 

 ject, this other result followed, that having so 

 much under my eye, it was generally easy to illus- 

 trate what was obscure, and to correct whatever was 

 erroneous; and having thus experienced so much 

 benefit myself, I determined to arange it, as in my 

 first book, for the benefit of others*." It will now be 

 more easily understood that upon opening the volume 

 in any part of this first portion, it is seen that the 

 two pages under the eye go together to form pait 

 of a continuous alphabetic table, consisting of nine 

 columns ; the first three of which, beginning at the 

 left hand, are occupied with the name or names of 

 the animals brought under review, first in Latin, 

 then in classical Greek, and thirdly in the vulgar 

 tongue, whether of Italy, Greece, France, or else- 

 * Prsefatio, 



