BARON CUVIER. 57 



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 draw- 

 ings of M. Cuvier, but this is the place to show 

 to what extent he carried these youthful re- 

 searches. Several fragments and memoirs, from 

 his pen, exist on this subject ; and among them 

 is a paper, written in Latin, at the age of twen- 

 ty-one, while in the chateau de Fiquainville, 

 describing several Carabi*, and accompanied by 

 illustrations, which were executed with the ut- 

 most delicacy and fidelity. Several magnified 

 details were added to the text, which were 

 prior to many afterwards given as new by pro- 

 fessed Entomologists. In the same paper were 

 delineations of other Coleoptera, and also of 

 several Hemiptera, and various insects, accom- 

 panied by descriptions. In 1791 M. Cuvier 

 corresponded on the same subject with MM. 

 Fabricius and Pfaff ; and w^'ote various papers 

 concerning Pediculi and other parasitical in- 

 sects. Some drawings, probably made about 

 this period, were afterwards given by M. Cuvier 



* A tribe of insects which takes its place in tlie great 

 order, most commonly known under the name of Beetles. 



