30 MEMOIR OF 



But the establishment of the Botanic Garden 

 was not the only monument of his influence and 

 zeal which Aldrovandi left behind him. We have 

 already learnt, that, with a little corps of assistants, 

 he was in the habit of making scientific excursions 

 into the surrounding neighbourhood. On these 

 occasions he collected innumerable specimens, and 

 these he took every pains to preserve. This then 

 was ihe formation of a Museum, to which object 

 he devoted himself with all his wonted energy. It 

 animated his personal studies, and illustrated his lec- 

 tures; it extended his own views, and could not fail 

 to infuse far and near a taste for these pursuits, and 

 it ere long formed the ground- work of his voluminous 

 " Opera." On these points let us hear himself: 

 " Observing that many errors had crept into the works 

 of the most distinguished writers, such as Pliny, 

 Avicenna, &c., in order that I might gain informa- 

 tion with regard both to the internal and external 

 structure of the objects I was to describe, 1 laid out a 

 large sum of money in various travels into the differ- 

 ent parts of the world, undertaken chiefly in refer- 

 ence to birds and other departments of Natural 

 History. Nor has less trouble been taken in describ- 

 ing them, in assigning them their peculiar colours, 

 and in delineating them upon tablets made of the pear 

 tree ; afterwards in engraving them, (exculpendis- 

 gue,) and finally in giving them to the public. .For 

 these purposes I retained the services of one ceie- 

 brated painter for more than thirty years, at an 

 annual salary of not less than two hundred golden 



