178 LAMARCK, HIS LIFE AND WORK 



impetus to botany in France, and fully earned the 

 title of " the French Linn6." 



Lamarck not only described a number of genera and 

 species of plants, but he attempted a general classifi- 

 cation, as Cleland states : 



" In 1785 {Hist, de I'Acad) he evinced his appreci- 

 ation of the necessity of natural orders in botany by 

 an attempt at the classification of plants, interesting 

 though crude, and falling immeasurably short of the 

 system which grew in the hands of his intimate friend 

 Jussieu." — Encycl. Brit., Art. LAMARCK. 



A genus of tropical plants of the group Solanacea 

 was named Markea by Richard,, in honor of Lamarck, 

 but changed by Persoon and Poiret to Lamarckea. 

 The name Lamarckia of Moench and Koeler was 

 proposed for a genus of grasses ; it is now Chrysurtis. 



Lamarck's success as a botanist led to more or less 

 intimate relations with Buffon. But it appears that 

 the good-will of this great naturalist and courtier for 

 the rising botanist was not wholly disinterested. La- 

 marck owed the humble and poorly paid position of 

 keeper of the herbarium to Buffon. Bourguin adds, 

 however : 



" Mais il les dutj moins ti ses m/rites quaux 

 petits passions de la science officielle. The illustrious 

 Buffon, who was at the same time a very great lord at 

 court, was jealous of Linn6. He could not endure 

 having any one compare his brilliant and eloquent 

 word-pictures of animals with the cold and methodical 

 descriptions of the celebrated Swedish naturalist. So 

 he attempted to combat him in another field- — botany. 

 For this reason he encouraged and pushed Lamarck 

 into notice, who, as the popularizer of the system of 



