142 Natural Jlistory, [Chap. III. 



the extent of his learnmg, and the greatness of his 

 views, to remed}^ tlie defect. To his himinous and 

 expanded mind, the arduous task of generalising 

 and arranging seemed to be an easy and familiar 

 process. He introduced new methods of classifica- 

 tion into all the more important branches of natu- 

 ral Jiistory ; made large additions to its known 

 facts and principles; excited a thirst, before un- 

 equalled, for this kind of knowledge ; and pre- 

 pared the way for a great portion of the improve- 

 ments which have been made by succeeding na- 

 turalists. 



While the last age produced much new light 

 in the philosophy of natural history, and added 

 immense riches to its former stores, it also gave 

 to this science new distinction as an object of 

 study in seminaries of learning. — At the close of 

 the seventeenth century, it is believed, only a few 

 professorships had been instituted, even in tlie most 

 distinguished universities, for instructing youth in 

 this interesting department of knowledge. Since 

 that time few^ important colleges or universities 

 have failed to add such professorships to their 

 former plans of instruction, and to place natural 

 history among the indispensable objects of atten- 

 tion in an academic course. By these and other 

 means new honours have been bestowed on this 

 branch of science, new encouragement given to 

 the 7A"A and exertions of inquirers, new roads to 

 improvement opened, and new opportunities af- 

 forded, at once, of diffusing a taste for investi- 

 gations of this nature, and of extending the infor- 

 mation which genius and industry had gained. 



But it will be more satisfactory to take a brief 



