96 MEMOIRS OF 



never annoyed at delay ; he recommenced the same labour 

 over and over again, until he had succeeded to his satisfac- 

 tion ; and the method of his proceedings, while it seemed to 

 call into use every mental resource, seemed to impose silence 

 on his imagination. When Buffon first attached him to 

 the Jardin des Plantes, he thought he had found a labo- 

 rious aid, who would smooth the rugged ness of his path ; 

 but he found much more, for Daubenton was a faithful 

 guide, who pointed out to him the hidden dangers and pre- 

 cipices of that path. Many times did the sly smile of Dau- 

 benton, when he conceived a doubt, induce Buffon to recon- 

 sider his ideas. Many times did one of those words, which 

 this friend knew so well where to place, stop him in his 

 precipitous career ; and the wisdom and prudent reserve of 

 the one, uniting themselves to the force and rapidity of the 

 other, gave to the " Histoire des Quadra pedes," the only 

 work common to both, that perfection which makes it the 

 most interesting part of the great Natural History of Buffon, 

 It is more exempt from errors than the rest, and will long 

 remain a classical book among naturalists. Daubenton was 

 appointed "Demonstrateur du Cabinet d'Histoire Naturelle," 

 and his salary was gradually augmented from five hundred 

 francs to four thousand ; he was lodged at Buffon's, and 

 nothing was neglected which could ensure him that ease of 

 circumstances which is necessary to every man of letters, 

 every savant who would be wholly devoted to science. Dau- 

 benton, on his side, amply repaid these kindnesses by unremit- 

 ting obedience to the views of his benefactor, and, at the same 

 time, erected a monument to his own glory. Before the time 

 of Daubenton, the Museum of Natural History was a mere 

 cabinet, and, strictly speaking, only contained the shells col- 

 lected by Tournefort for the amusement of Louis XV., when 

 young. In a very few years, the whole face was changed. 

 Minerals, fruits, woods, and shells were brought from every 

 quarter and exposed in the most beautiful order ; means 

 were taken for discovering the best modes of preserving dif- 

 ferent parts of organized beings ; and the inanimate remains 

 of birds and quadrupeds re-assumed the appearance of life, 

 presenting the slightest details of character to the attentive 

 observer, while they astonished the curious by the variety of 

 their forms and the brilliancy of their colours. Daubenton 



