LAST DAYS AND DEATH 



S3 



Even in advanced life Lamarck seern^ not to have 

 suffered from ill-health, despite the fact that he ap- 

 parently during the last thirty years of his life lived 

 in a very secluded way. Whether he went out into 

 the world, to the theatre, or even went away from 

 Paris and the Museum into the country in his later 

 years, is a matter of doubt. It is said that he was fond 

 of novels, his daughters reading to him those of the best 

 French authors. After looking with some care through 

 the records of the sessions of the Assembly of Profes- 

 sors, we are struck with the evidences of his devotion 

 to routine museum work and to his courses of lectures. 



At that time the Museum sent out to the Scales 

 centrales of the different departments of France named 

 collections made up from the duplicates, and in this 

 sort of drudgery Lamarck took an active part. He 

 also took a prominent share in the business of the 

 Museum, in the exchange and in the purchase of 

 specimens and collections in his department, and even 

 in the management of the menagerie. Thus he re- 

 ported on the dentition of the young lions (one dying 

 from teething), on the illness and recovery of one of 

 the elephants, on the generations of goats and kids 

 in the park ; also on a small-sized bull born of a small 

 cow covered by a Scottish bull, the young animal 

 having, as he states, all the characters of the original. 



For one year (1794) he was secretary of the Board 

 of Professors of the Museum.* The records of the 



* The first director of the Board or Assembly of Professors-admin- 

 istrative of the Museum was Daubenton, Lacepede being the secre- 

 tary, Thouin the treasurer. Daubenton was succeeded by Jussieu ; 

 and Lacepide, first by Desfontaines and afterwards by Lamarck, who 

 was elected secretary 18 fructidor, an II. (i794)- 



