RISE AND PROGRESS OF ZOOLOGY. XIX 



men as the ancient Bramins of India, Zoroas- 

 ter, Hermes Trismegistus, and other eastern 

 philosophers. We may also well suppose, that 

 Moses, who was learned in all the wisdom of 

 the Egyptians, and Solomon who knew every 

 plant from the cedar to the hyssop, had paid 

 some attention to the phenomena of the animal 

 world. This is very clearly proved from the 

 Levitical law, and the various allusions in the 

 Bible, generally, and particularly in the book 

 of Job to this subject. Among the early 

 Greeks, it is more than probable, that such 

 men as Esculapius, Melampus, Chiron, Orpheus, 

 Aristaeus, cfc, who studied plants and their pro- 

 perties, did not neglect the habits and instinct 

 of animals. The principal sects or schools of 

 philosophy, which cultivated physical sciences, 

 were the Italian founded by Pythagoras ; the 

 Eleatic by Xenophanes ; and the Ionic by 

 Thales. Heraclitus also distinguished himself 

 in this walk, as did also Anaximander, Anaxi- 

 menes, and Anaxagoras, the friend of Pericles ; 

 but from the Academic or Platonic school, 

 though by no means distinguished by its atten- 

 tion to physical science, sprung the first man 

 who furnished the world with anything really 

 valuable or methodical on the subject of which 

 we treat. 



