ri!:aumur. 141 



progressive development of the minute young to 

 the full-grown creature. Reaumur was sufficiently 

 wealthy to form a large collection of animals, and 

 a very able man, M. Brisson, was employed by 

 him as its curator, and was allowed to describe the 

 quadrupeds and birds. Reaumur did not care so 

 much about classifying insects, as describing their 

 habits and anatomy ; but his six great volumes are 

 still most valuable memorials of his conscientious 

 care. He says that the number of observations 

 necessary for a tolerably complete history of so many 

 minute animals is prodigious. When one reflects 

 on all that an accomplished botanist ought to 

 know, it is enough to frighten him. His memory 

 is loaded with the names of twelve or thirteen 

 thousand plants, and he is expected to recall, on 

 occasion, the image of any one of them. There is 

 perhaps not one of those plants but has insects 

 peculiar to itself; and some trees, such as the oak, 

 give sustenance to several hundred different 

 species. And after all, how many are there that 

 do not live on plants } How many species that 

 devour others ^ How many that live at the ex- 

 pense of other animals ? How many species are 

 there, some of which pass the greater part of their 

 time in water, while others pass it entirely there ? 

 The immensity of nature's works is nowhere more 

 apparent than in the prodigious multitudes of 

 these little animals. This being the case, he deems 

 it impossible for any one man to acquire a know- 

 ledge of all the insects of even a limited district ; 



