6 THE DARWINIAN THEORY 



old shoes to keep out the damp and cold. Buffon 

 was a man with a very keen interest in Natural 

 History, and of remarkable industry and persever- 

 ance. In 1739 he was appointed Superintendent of 

 the Jardin des Plantes at Paris, a post which he held 

 till his death. In his great book on Natural History 

 he gave a comprehensive account of all that was 

 known concerning the distribution, habits, instincts, 

 and structure of animals. Buffon strongly dis- 

 approved of the sharp lines and rigid systems of 

 Linnaeus, and was more fond of general theories 

 than of minute details. His materials were derived 

 rather from extensive reading than from direct 

 observation, and, having weak eyesight himself, most 

 of his anatomical work was done by assistants. His 

 great reputation was due very largely to the exceed- 

 ingly attractive style in which he wrote, and the 

 charm with which he invested the whole subject. 

 He led many to think about and take an interest in 

 Natural History, and to add to it by their own 

 observations, who would not otherwise have done so. 

 Buffon must not, however, be thought of as a mere 

 popular writer ; he really opened up new fields and 

 led the way in many matters of the utmost import- 

 ance. For instance, concerning the homologies of 

 the mammalian skeleton, he was the first to compare 

 the arm of man with the fore-leg of the horse. He 

 also paid much attention to geographical distribution, 

 and laid stress on the resemblance between the fauna 

 of Northern Europe and that of America, and ex- 

 plained this by the existence of a former land con- 

 nection wide enough to permit migrations. More- 



