Natural History. 125 



department of zoology, Bloch, a Jew physician af 

 Berlin, is said to be the most able and complete. 

 To wJiich may be added, that Lacepede, before 

 mentioned, has commenced the publication of an 

 extensive work on fishes, of which great expecta- 

 tions are formed/ 



The inquiries and discoveries in the Insecta, the 

 ^fifth class in the Linna.Mn arrangement, have also 

 been very great during the period in question. 

 SwAMMERDAM was aluiost the only one who paid 

 particu'lcir attention to insects before Linn.^us. 

 The latter, profiting by the labours of his prede- 

 cessor, pursued his inquiries in this part of natural 

 history with singular zeal and success. He dis- 

 covered and described many new species, and 

 greatly improved their arrangement. After Lin- 

 N.^us, appeared Madame Mertan's View of the 

 Insects of Surinam, a very splendid work, and 

 a singular monument of female genius and per- 

 severance. About the same time Reaumur, 

 of France, Lyonet, of Holland, and Bonnett, 

 of Geneva, greatly distinguished themselves by 

 their respective publications in Entomology ; and, 

 though with different relative merits, decidedly 

 improved upon all w^ho had gone before them. In 

 this department of zoology, also, w^ithin the period 

 which w^e are considering, Drury and Don a van, 

 of England, Geoffroy, of France, Fabricius, of 

 Denmark, De Geer, of Sweden, and, latest of all, 

 Olivier, of France, have laboured with great dili- 

 gence and success. With respect to the different 

 degrees of honour due to these celebrated natural^ 

 ists, it is not easy, within small limits, to state them 

 with precise justice. The best judges seem to agree 



e This great Ichthyologist has already given four quarto volumes of his 

 work to the public, containing a description of 309 Fishes, of which 54 

 verc before unknown to naturalists. \\ hen finished it will probably he 

 the most complete and splendid work on this branch of n:irurul history hj 

 existence. Gar next'.- Annah of PhUos'fh^ for j8oo. 



