BARON CUVIER. 137 



individual beings easy of attainment : the latter, 

 disgusted at the dryness of antecedent writers, 

 who, forthe most part, were contented with giving 

 exact descriptions, knew how to interest us for 

 these objects by the magic of his harmonious 

 and poetical language. Sometimes the student, 

 fatigued by the perusal of Linnasus, reposed 

 himself with Buffbn ; but always, when de- 

 liciously excited by his enchanting descriptions, 

 he returned to Linnaeus in order to class this 

 beautiful imagery, fearing, that without sucli aid 

 he might only preserve a confused recollection of 

 its subject ; and doubtless, it is not the least of 

 the merits of these two authors, thus incessantly 

 to inspire a wisli to return to each other, although 

 this alternation seems to prove, and in fact does 

 prove, that, in each, something is wanting. As un- 

 fortunately is but too often the case, the imitators 

 of Linnceus and BufFon have precisely adopted 

 the defects of each of their masters ; and that 

 which was in them but a slight shade in a mag- 

 nificent picture, is become the principal character 

 in the productions of many of their respective 

 disciples. Some have only copied the dry and 

 neological phrases of Linneeus, without recollect- 

 ing that he himself only looked upon his system 

 as the scaffolding of an edifice of much greater 



