RISE AND PROGRESS OF ZOOLOGY. XXXIX 



contemplating nature in all her wild magnifi- 

 cence, and neglects particularity, that he may 

 emorace a more extensive scope. Might 

 we dare to find fault with either of these 

 great men, we would say, that Linnaeus was, 

 sometimes, almost too methodical and dry; 

 while Buffon, on the other hand, sometimes 

 departs too much from order, and is too much 

 prone to fanciful speculations : but the fact is, 

 that such faults are almost necessarily con- 

 nected with the peculiar perfections of their 

 respective genius. It is too much to demand 

 of human nature, a combination of the greatest, 

 and at the same time, most opposite qualifica- 

 tions in the same individual. The four great 

 naturalists, on whose merits we have princi- 

 pally dwelt in this little sketch, have each of 

 them exhibited nature under a different aspect. 

 Aristotle has shown us the profound combina- 

 tion of its laws ; Pliny, its inexhaustible 

 riches ; Linnaeus, its wonderful details ; and 

 Buffon, its majesty and power. Let us then 

 be contented to take advantage of these dif- 

 ferent views, instead of invidiously dwelling 

 on the defects of four writers, who may justly 

 be considered the fundamental pillars of Na- 

 tural History. 



Buffon was assisted in his great work by 



