Documents in Commemoration of Baron Cuvier. 305 
to its guidance ; a second edition whieb has since appeared, has 
_ proved its success. Cuvier was assisted in this labor by his ond 
Latreille in the class of insects, which is alone more numerous than 
the whole of the animal kingdom besides, and which would require 
the entire life of a laborious naturalist ; but he had induced this able 
entomologist, to deviate in some respects from his accustomed track, 
in order that his portion might quadrate with the other parts of the 
system. 
_ The arranging of this work enabled its author to perceive how 
greatly the study of fishes was in arrear with other divisions of zoo- 
logy. It taught him the difficulties which bad accumulated in this 
branch of science, both by the obscurity of the anatomy of these an- 
imals and the impossibility of discovering with precision the laws of 
the comparison of organs, by the want of large collections, and per- 
haps also by the too artificial methods which had till then reguiated 
the study of Ichthyology. He used his influence in procuring for the 
Museum of Paris, specimens of fishes from all parts of the world, 
and such was his success in this search after the materials of his sci- 
ence, that the number of fishin the museum, which scarcely exceed- 
ed a thousand species, was increased in a few years tv about six thou- 
sand. He anatomized a great number of them with a care before 
unknown. He associated himself in these details, Mr. Vallencien- 
nes, a meritorious young man, with whose aid he was enabled i in a 
_ space of time, which considering the immensity of the results, may 
be deemed very short, to form the elements of his great work on 
the history of fish, the first volumes of which have appeared, and 
the conclusions of which may be expected from his laborious coad- 
jutor. The recent embarrassment of the book trade somewhat re- 
_tarded its progress, and as the portion digested was in advance with 
the press, he was revising his lessons on comparative anatomy, pre- 
paratory to a second edition which has been long and greatly wanted, 
“Tt will be (he wrote on the 26th of April, to the author of this brief 
: memoir) almost a new work, so numerous are the facts derivable from 
our immense collections, and from the labors of other anatomists 
since the first edition; but I see with pleasure that the frame of it 
will need but little eee, and that it is still preferable, (at least in 
_ My opinion) to the plans which have been since adopted by other 
_ Savans. Nevertheless, (adds he) I shall by no means renounce (if 
Live) my labors on the large comparative anatomy, for which I have 
already thousands of bi sa This project constantly 
Vou. XXIII.—No. 2 
