JARDIN DES PL ANTES, PARIS 3 



In 1796 the Jardin des Plantes received a letter 

 from Captain Baudin asking for a ship and men to 

 convey to France a rich collection of animals and 

 plants which he had gathered together in the island 

 of Trinidad. A vessel was sent out, and, after being 

 shipwrecked on the Canaries, the collection was finally 

 brought home the next year. It was augmented by a 

 collection of birds made by M. le Yaillant in Africa, 

 and a collection brought back from La Guiana by 

 M. Bragton. The Emperor Napoleon added several 

 animals which he bought in England, and among which 

 were a pair of tigers, two lynx, a mandril, a leopard, a 

 hyaena, and a handsome panther, or hunting leopard, 

 besides several birds and plants. 



M. Fourcroi, who now made his appearance, col- 

 lected for the institution animals, birds, precious 

 stones, plants and books from all parts of the world. 

 The collection of minerals of M. Warisse was bought, 

 and 150,000 books were added to the library. The 

 Emperor Napoleon during his wanderings never forgot 

 the museum, and sent back to it fossil- fish from Verona 

 and specimens of rock from the island of Corsica. 

 M. Lesneeur, the painter and historian, and M. Peron 

 brought back from the South 100,000 specimens of 

 animals, large and small, representing many species. 

 They brought home a zebra and a monkey for the 

 Empress Josephine and plants without number. About 

 this time M. Cuvier, the celebrated naturalist, made 

 his appearance ; M. Geoffroy arrived from Lisbon with 

 new animals ; M. Michamx brought specimens from the 

 forests of America ; and M. Marcel de Serres brought 

 from Italy and Germany all sorts of minerals, 



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