100 PLINY THE ELDER. 



1469^ and at Rome in 1470. The most useful and 

 convenient is that of Franzius, in ten volumes 8vo, 

 published at Leipsic in 1791. 



From what has been said above it will appear, 

 that down to the time of Pliny naturalists had not 

 succeeded in forming any system of zoology. In the 

 writings of that author, the animals of which he 

 treats are so disposed, that the absence of all arrange- 

 ment is very obvious ; nor is it even possible to 

 guess upon what principle he makes the species suc- 

 ceed each other. In his chapter on land-animals, 

 he places the elephant first ; and as mice come last, 

 we might imagine that he had intended to proceed 

 on the principle of size. The bison, the wild-horse, 

 the elk, the bonasus, the lion, the panther, the tiger, 

 the camel, and the camelopard, of which the first 

 individual seen at Rome was exhibited by Julius 

 Csesar at the Circensian games, follow in order. 

 Then come the rhinoceros, the lynx, apes and 

 monkeys, wolves, serpents, the ichneumon, the cro- 

 codile, the skink, the hippopotamus, first shown at 

 Rome by Marcus Scaur us, lizards, tortoises, hyenas, 

 frogs and seals, deer, porcupines, bears, marmots, 

 squirrels, vipers, snails, dogs, horses, asses, and 

 mules, and the other principal domestic animals. 

 His arrangement of birds is equally unsystematic. 

 The fabulous phoenix occupies the first rank, and 

 is followed by eagles, hawks, birds of evil omen, 

 as ravens and owls, woodpeckers, peacocks, the do- 

 mestic fowl, geese, cranes, swans, thrushes, doves, 

 the ibis, the nightingale, and the kingfisher. With 

 these are mingled various heterogeneous elements. 

 The same may be said of all the other depart- 

 ments. Were the knowledge of animals which we 



