PREFACE 



ByDr GMELIN. 



TH E tranfcendent merits of the illuftrious Author of the fol- 

 lowing Work, and his high fame as the Reftorer and Refor- 

 mer of the Science of Natural Hiftory, notwithftanding the malevo- 

 lent oppofition, and many violent attacks, of numerous detractors, 

 are fo fully known and acknowledged by the public, as to render 

 any ftudied panegyric on him or his writings totally fuperfluous. 

 Even the novice in Natural Hiftory muft be fully aware of the many 

 and great advantages he derives from a Catalogue of all the known 

 natural objects, properly arranged into ClafTes, Orders, and Genera; 

 at one glance, with fuch affiftance, he is immediately led to the par- 

 ticular fubjed: he is in quell of ; while, on the contrary, he muft ne- 

 ceffarily fpend much time and labour, if he is obliged to fearch amid 

 the almoft inextricable confufion of numerous and verbofe defcriptions 

 which are difperfed through the voluminous writings of unfyftema- 

 tic Naturalifts. Although this facility to the ftudent be confidered 

 as the principal excellence in the labours of the great Linnaeus, by 

 fuch as have chofen to ftigmatife him with the contemptuous title of 

 a mere Nomenclator, it is by no means the chief merit of his won- 

 derful work j what really conftkutes its great fupereminence, and 

 which can be claimed by no other author, is, that it contains defcrip- 

 tions of all the natural objects which were in any degree known at 

 Vol. I. A the 



