MEMOIR OF Ct VIER. 51 



others, and his quick perceptions, on some occasions 



betrayed him into hasty expressions, but which were 



no sooner uttered, than they were regretted and 



checked. In the allotment of his time during the 



day, he was also regular, and he did not, on ordinary 



occasions, suffer himself to be disturbed in those hours 



which were set aside for study. He generally rose 



about seven o'clock, when, in his dissecting dress, he 



directed or assisted in the completions of the various 



reparations of Natural History, before they were 



laced in the proper departments of the galleries. 



Vt breakfast he read the papers or some new perio- 



ical, or looked over some of the elementary books 



T the schools of public instruction, and saw some 



f his most intimate friends ; he then dressed, and 



et about the performance of his public duties. Af- 



er dinner, he would occasionally spend an hour in 



onversation before ' ' r to his studies,* and did 



ot again return to . v^awing-room till late in the 



vening, when his great relaxation was in hearing 



Vladame Cuvier or his daughter-in-law read from 



some favourite author ; and many of the literary 



works of the day were in this way perused and made 



amiliar to him. 



There is another accomplishment nearly indispen- 

 able to a naturalist, which we have almost omitted 

 o notice he was an expert draftsman. Early in 



* When in England, he was annoyed at the long time 

 spent after dinner, and often spoke of it as a great lore of 



