HISTORY. 7 



For nearly a century the works of Belon and Eondelet 

 remained the standard works of Ichthyology ; but this science 

 did not remain stationary during this period. The attention 

 of naturalists was now directed to the products of foreign 

 countries, especially the Spanish and Dutch possessions in the 

 New World ; and in Europe the establishment of anatomical 

 schools and academies led to the careful investigation of the 

 internal anatomy of the most remarkable European forms. 

 Limited as these efforts were as to their scope, being directed 

 either only to the fauna of some district, or to the dissection 

 of a single species, they were sufficiently numerous to enlarge 

 the views of naturalists, and to destroy that fatal dependency 

 on preceding authorities which had continued to keep in bonds 

 the minds of even such men as Eondelet and Belon. 



The most noteworthy of those who were active in tropical W. Piso. 

 countries are W. Piso and G. Maegeav. They accompanied 



•' ^ grav. 



as physicians the Dutch Governor, Prince Moritz of Nassau, 

 to Brazil (1637-44). Margrav espepially studied the fauna of 

 the country, and although he died before his return to Europe, 

 his observations were published by his colleague, and em- 

 bodied in a work "Historia naturalis Brazilise" (Lugd. 1648, 

 fol.), in which the fourth book treats of the fishes. He de- 

 scribes about 100 species, all of which had been previously 

 unknown, in a manner far superior to that of his predecessors. 

 The accompanying figures are not good, but nearly always 

 recognisable, and giving a fair idea of the form of the fish. 

 Margrav himself, with the aid of an artist, had made a most 

 valuable collection of coloured drawings of the objects 

 observed and described by him, but many years were allowed 

 to pass before it was scientifically utilised by Bloch and others. 



Of the men who left records of their anatomical researches, Anato- 

 we may mention Boeelli (1608-79), who wrote a work "De fl'f*^' „„ 

 motu animalium " (Eom. 1680, 4to), in which he explained 

 the mechanism of swimming, and the function of the air- 



