E?nineni Nahiralists. iig 



writing upon his books, which were afterwards pubhshed in so 

 many editions. 



At length his work here was completed, and he went to Sweden, 

 and established himself in Stockholm as a physician. Though so 

 well known as a naturalist, he gained practice as a physician but 

 slowly. In 1 741, however, he was appointed medical professor at 

 the University of Upsal, and by exchanging work with the Professor 

 of Botany, he soon made that department the most famous in 

 Europe. Students flocked from all over the continent, and even 

 from America, to enjoy his instruction. Honors and riches now 

 came to him in abundance, and his later years were spent in 

 affluence. 



Species Plantaruni, was published in 1753, and was his most 

 important contribution to scientific literature. 



In it he established the dual system of nomenclature, by giving 

 to each species a distinct name, descriptive of some peculiarity, 

 and appending this name to that of the genus. 



I heartily regret that it has since become common to derive the 

 name, not from the species itself, but from its discoverer, or from 

 some one whom the namer wishes to immortalize ; and I trust the 

 coming scholar will reverently bury such a name, for instance, as 

 Helix Dupetiihouarsii, Desh., or, at least, put it away in some 

 snug spot in the museum, and give to our pretty Monterey snail 

 a more appropriate designation. Doubtless, the old French admi- 

 ral, Abel Aubert Du Petit — Thomas, was a great man, but his 

 greatness was hardly enhanced by the act of Deshayes, who chris- 

 tened the little snail with so long and uncomfortable a titb. 



Let it pass into the list of synonyms, and let some simple ad- 

 jective, descriptive of the species, take its place. 



Linnaeus died Jan. loth, 1778, sincerely mourned by the most 

 distinguished men of his time. 



His life teaches us that it is not always an easy thing, even for 

 an enthusiast, to obtain a place where he can follow out his chosen 

 work. But it is also an example of earnest and devout study, 

 ultimately rewarded with honor, riches and undying fame. 



Josiah Keep. 



HERMIT CRABS 



The Popular Science News says: 'The hermit crab possesses 

 the wonderful instinct of finding the cast-off shell of some other 

 animal, which he occupies. As their size increases, they move 

 out of the old house, and start off in search of a better- fitting- 

 one. They sometimes find a desirable residence already occu- 

 pied by another hermit crab, and then an amusing but desperate 

 fight takes place, and if victorious, the house-hunter turns out the 

 rightful occupant, and snugly ensconces himself in the shell, while 

 the evicted tenant must move on until he finds another one.' 



