MEMOIR OF DAUBENTON. % 199 



This is not the place to analyze the descriptive part 

 of the Natural History,* a work as immense in its de- 

 tails as it is astonishing from the boldness of its plan, 

 nor to point out all that it contains new and important 

 for naturalists. It will be sufficient to give an idea of 

 it, to mention, that it contains the description, exterior 

 as well as interior, of a hundred and eighty-two species 

 of quadrupeds, fifty-two of which had never before 

 been dissected, and thirteen of which had not even 

 been described externally. It also contains the descrip- 

 tion, exterior only, of twenty-six species, five of which 

 were not known. The number of species entirely new 

 is therefore eighteen; but the new facts, relating to 

 such as were already known more or less superficially, 

 are innumerable. The greatest merit of the work, how- 

 ever, is the order and spirit in which these descriptions 

 are drawn up, and which is the same in regard to all 

 the species. The author is pleased to repeat, that he 

 was the first who had established a comparative ana- 

 tomy; and that was true in this sense, that all his 

 observations were arranged on the same plan, and 

 their number being the same for the smallest animal 

 and the largest, it is extremely easy to seize all the 

 relations; not being confined to any system, he has 

 bestowed equal attention on all the facts ; and he 

 never could be tempted to neglect or disguise what 



* The three first volumes in 4to appeared in 1749; the 

 twelve following succeeded each other from that period up 

 to 1767. 



