BARON CUVIER. 33 



was noble in all mankind, he was never, for an instant, ob- 

 scured by party spirit, and was wholly unconscious of that 

 supercilious feeling of superiority, which is so hurtful to 

 the progress of its possessor, and also to the progress of 

 others. 



The earliest of M. Cuvier's scientific labours were di- 

 rected towards Entomology, and in them we behold the 

 dawning efforts of his genius, the foundation of that mi- 

 nute and detailed observation which so particularly distin- 

 guished all his researches, and of which I am about to 

 give rather a lengthened description, in order to show that 

 he commenced the task before him in a way that neces- 

 sarily led to the perfection he afterwards attained. He has 

 been heard to observe that the w^onderful things he met 

 with in the organization of insects raised his genius to ele- 

 vated thoughts ; and such was his opinion of Entomolog)^ 

 in later life, that he asserted, '• If I had not studied insects 

 from choice when I was at college, I should have done so 

 later, from a conviction of its necessity." An anecdote is 

 related of him by M. Audouin*, in his Discourse, read at 

 the Entomological Society of Paris, which proves still fur- 

 ther the value he set upon such pursuits. A young stu- 

 dent of medicine came to him one day, and ventured to 

 tell him, that he had discovered something new and re- 

 markable in dissecting a human subject. " Are you an 

 Entomologist !" asked M. Cuvier. — " No," replied the stu- 

 dent. — " Well, then," returned M. Cuvier, " go and anato- 

 mize an insect, I care not which, the largest you can find, 

 then re-consider your observation, and if it appear to be 

 correct, I will believe you on your word." The young 

 man submitted cheerfully to the proof ; and soon after, 

 having acquired more skill and more judgment, went 

 again to M. Cuvier, to thank him for his advice, and, at 

 the same time, to confess his error. " You see," said M. 

 Cuvier, smiling, " that my touchstone was a good one." 



In another part of this work I shall have occasion to 

 speak of the Entomological drawings of M. Cuvier, but 

 this is the place to show to what extent he carried these 



* Professor of Entomology at the Jardin des Plantes, having succeeded 

 to the chair recently vacated by the death of M. Latreille. 



