550 HISTORY OF SYSTEMS. 



is placed in the development of a head ; of the subclasses in the 

 nature of the procreative sources ; of the orders from the 

 branchiae ; and of the families from a comprehensive compen- 

 dium of all external features. There is, therefore, a great 

 dissimilarity in these systems, which may entitle them to be 

 considered as original inventions to a certain extent; but 

 I cannot otherwise persuade myself than that those of 

 Lamarck and De Blainville derive their origin and beino- 

 from Cuvier ; f while that of Latreille, inferior to any of 

 them, must be considered as merely the emanation of a 

 system-making mind exercising itself on a subject which was 

 known to it only as presented through the writings of 

 others. 



These great and learned naturalists were contemporaneous 

 men, and they gave to Conchology in France an active and 

 living spirit at a period of time when, in other countries, it 

 showed only feeble symptoms of vitality. Italy, to whose 

 naturalists some would, as I think, unjustly,* trace back the 

 rise of the impulsive wave that moved the stillness the wand 

 of Liniiceus had commanded, was overrun by the conqueror 

 and spoiler ; and the few learned works of her professors were 

 nearly as unknown to the public as the illuminated MSS. 

 of her monastic libraries. Brocchi limited his researches 

 to the fossil shells of the subapennine hills ; and Delle Chiaje 

 published only detached Memoirs on the Mollusca of the 

 Bay of Naples, in rivalry of those of Cuvier. The north of 

 Europe evidenced even less interest in our science. M. 

 Schumacher, a Dane, published in 1817, a child's plaything 

 under the name of a system of Conchology, in which no re- 

 gard was paid to any part of the animal beyond its shell ; and 

 in which radiated animals found themselves ill at ease by the 

 side of Cirrhopods, red-blooded worms, and cold-blooded 

 molluscans. In 1820, on the contrary, Dr. Schweigger fur- 

 nished the students of Germany with an excellent manual 

 of Natural History embracing a succinct exposition of Cu- 

 vier's views in malacology, with notes derived from other 

 trustworthy sources, or personal observation. As Dr. Schweig- 

 ger has introduced some new names into conchology, and as 

 his definitions are short and pithy, and embrace well-selected 

 characters, I shall copy it out for you in the language he 

 himself employs. 



* Latreille states the ease fairly : " MM. Poli, le Baron Cuvier, le Cheva- 

 lier de Lamarck, le Baron de F^russac et de Blainville sont, de tous les 

 naturalistes de nos jours, ceux qui ont le plus illustre cette division zoolo- 

 gique ; mais c'est surtout au second que nous sommes redevables d'une veri- 

 table methode naturelle."— Fam. Nat. 152.— From Latreille's high estimate 

 of Ferussac's labours T dissent entirely. 



