14 FISHES. 



an age of fifty-six years wlien lie commenced to write on 

 ichtliyological subjects. To commence at his age a work in 

 which he intended not only to give full descriptions of the 

 species known to him from specimens or drawings, but also 

 to illustrate every species in a style truly magnificent for 

 his time, was an undertaking of the execution of which an 

 ordinary man would have despaired. Yet he accomplished 

 not only this task, but even more, as we shall see hereafter. 

 His work consists of two divisions : — 



1. " Oeconomische Naturgeschichte der Fische Deutsch- 

 lands " (Berl 1782-4, 4to. Plates in fol.) 



2. " Naturgeschichte der ausloendischen Fische " (Berl. 

 1785-95, 4to. Plates in fol.) 



Bloch's work is unique, and probably will for ever remain 

 so. Although Cuvier fifty years later undertook a similar 

 general work on fishes, the subject had then become too ex- 

 tensive to allow of an attempt of giving illustrations of all 

 the species, or illustrations of a similar size and costliness. 



The first division of the work, which is devoted to a de- 

 scription of the fishes of Germany, is entirely original, and 

 based upon Bloch's own observations. His descriptions as 

 well as figures were made from nature, and are, with but few 

 exceptions, still serviceable ; many continue to be the best 

 existmg in literature. 



Bloch was less fortunate and is much less reliable in his 

 natural history of foreign fishes. For many of the species 

 he had to rely on more or less incorrect drawings and de- 

 scriptions of travellers ; frequently, also, he was deceived as 

 to the origin of specimens which he acquired by purchase. 

 Hence his accounts contain numerous confusing errors which 

 it would have been difficult to correct, if not nearly the whole 

 of the materials on which liis work is based had been pre- 

 served in the collections at Berlin. 



After the completion of his Ichthyology Bloch occupied 



