542 DESCRIPTION OF THE MUSEUM. 



body, executed and presented to the Museum by 

 Pinson 



M. Cuvier was riot deterred by the immensity 

 of the enterprise, the difficulties that were to 

 attend it, nor the time required for its execu- 

 tion. He set about it in 1796, upon as large a 

 scale as if he had actually had every desirable re- 

 source at his disposal. He instructed and formed 

 assistants ; and having inflamed the zeal of his 

 pupils by his lectures, he soon found amongst 

 them, men of distinguished merit who zealously 

 aided in his dissections. Such was the activity of 

 their labours, that as early as 1806 students were 

 admitted to the cabinet of anatomy. The series 

 were then numerous, they have increased every 

 year, and they are now so extensive as to form 

 incomparably the richest collection in existence. 



All the objects with a very few exceptions, 

 were prepared at the Museum, and were pro- 

 cured from the animals of the menagerie, or pur- 

 chased in markets or ports, or furnished by tra- 

 vellers. They were reduced to their present or- 

 der by M. Cuvier himself, or under his direction 

 by M. Rousseau and other anatomists ; and M.Lau- 

 rillard, a pupil of M. Cuvier's, is charged with 

 the care of their preservation and the guardian- 

 ship of the cabinet. 



The first room on the ground floor contains 



