240 NATURAL HISTORY. 



At the time when Lamarck published his 'Flore 

 Frangaise,' botany, owing largely to the influence of 

 Rousseau, was a favourite subject of study in France ; 

 and the work was very favourably received. Its publica- 

 tion led to his obtaining the friendship and patronage of 

 Buffon, and also to his being appointed to a subordinate 

 place in the botanical department of the Academy of 

 Sciences. Buffon likewise sent him, as tutor to his son, 

 on a tour through Europe, and obtained for him at the 

 same time a sort of official commission to visit foreign 

 botanical gardens and museums, whereby he much in- 

 creased his knowledge of plants and animals. Lamarck 

 now continued to prosecute diligently his studies on 

 plants, and published some large and excellent botanical 

 treatises ; but unfortunately he remained poor, and with- 

 out any remunerative or permanent employment. Ulti- 

 mately he was appointed curator of the botanical collec- 

 tions of the 'Cabinet du Roi.' In 1793, however, even 

 this ill-paid post was suppressed by the National Assembly, 

 when the ' Cabinet du Roi ' became converted into the 

 Museum of Natural History and the 'Jardin des Plantes.' 

 In this new institution Lamarck was called upon to take 

 the professorship of the Vermes and Insecta of Linnaeus, 

 or, as we should now say, of the Invertebrate Animals. 



At this time, the Invertebrate animals were exceedingly 

 ill understood, if we except the Insecta, being, in fact, 

 very much in the condition in which they had been left by 

 Linnaeus. Besides, Lamarck, who was now fifty years 

 old, had not previously studied zoology closely, and was 

 very imperfectly acquainted with any of the groups of the 

 Invertebrates, except the Molluscs, the shell-fish having 



