100 FOSSIL MAMMALIA.. 



destined to bring to light so many entire genera of animals, all 

 utterly extinct and buried for myriads of ages in the bosom of 

 the earth. He had even paid no attention to the partial ac- 

 counts given of these remains, in the environs of Paris, by 

 certain naturalists, who did not even pretend to determine the 

 species, or seem to have suspected that there was any thing 

 singular about them Guettard had simply announced their 

 existence; Pralon described the strata of Montmartre in a sum- 

 mary way, and spoke generally of the bones therein contained ; 

 Lamanon gave a partial account of a few bones, as did likewise 

 Pazumot. This constituted the amount of all that had been 

 done concerning them, previously to the commencement of our 

 author's researches. 



His attention was first directed to them by M. Vuarin, who 

 presented him with a few specimens, which not a little excited 

 his astonishment. He immediately obtained access to the col- 

 lections of several gentlemen, and every relic he met with there 

 of these bones, excited his curiosity more and more, and deter- 

 mined him to proceed in his inquiries. He finally set about 

 forming a collection himself from the plaster quarries of Paris, 

 and by his liberality to the workmen, and indefatigable zeal, 

 he soon succeeded in accumulating an immense quantity of 

 materials on which to commence his operations. 



It was more easy, however, to collect the materials than to 

 arrange them — more easy to accumulate the bones, than recon- 

 struct the skeletons, which was yet the only means by which 

 a just idea could be formed of the species. From the first he 

 perceived that the species whose remains were found in the 

 gypsum were considerably numerous. Soon after he discovered 

 that they appertained to different genera, and that the species 

 of the different genera were often of the same size, so that the 

 relative magnitude would prove rather a source of embarrass- 

 ment than of assistance. He had in his possession the mutilated 

 and incomplete remains of some hundreds of skeletons, all mixed 

 and confused together, and it was absolutely necessary that 



