,378 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



and courtiers. Wherever he went he made original observations, 

 and his store of information was immense. Conrad Gesner 

 climbed the rungs of the ladder of fame in the teeth of many 

 discouragements. Not only was he one of a large family, but his 

 father fell in the Civil War of 1531 ; and matters would have 

 fared badly with our hero had it not been that he possessed an 

 excellent relative — John Friccius, his maternal uncle. This 

 benevolent priest was deeply versed in herbal lore, and taught 

 Conrad to study field botany. But the untimely death of his 

 benefactor cast Conrad back upon the mercies of the world, and 

 it was with much difficulty that the stripling became a student at 

 the University of Paris, where he made the acquaintance of John 

 Steiger and other young men, who proved of service to him in 

 later years. It is sometimes taken for granted that Gesner was 

 a mere scribe, who freely utilized the writings of others for his 

 great works, but made few original observations. No less de- 

 served calumny could be lieaped upon his memory. Certainly 

 he was a maker of books, but he was not a book-maker in any but 

 the noblest sense. He had as strong a desire to make personal 

 observations as any of us, but it is only the fortunate few who can 

 find leisure and means for research. Gesner visited Italy, and 

 spent a whole month at Venice on purpose to study the fishes of 

 the Venetian lagoons; but, unhappily, war broke out, and com- 

 pelled him to return home. If he failed to carry out other 

 schemes of travelling, it was not because he lacked enthusiasm, 

 but because his health was poor, and his means were straitened. 

 But though he could not gratify his natural ambition to scour 

 Europe for specimens, he utilized other men to the same end, 

 obtaining both specimens and information from correspondents 

 in many lands. His bright genial nature won for Gesner the 

 loyal support of all who had the privilege of knowing him. 

 Aldrovandi, in his old age, wrote rather slightingly of Gesner, 

 because he had arranged his history of birds alphabetically, as 

 Prof. Newton has done in our own day. But we know that Gesner, 

 like the modern naturalist whom he so closely resembled in his 

 great erudition, adopted an alphabetical arrangement solely for 

 the convenience of his readers. He was every bit as anxious to 

 further the interests of taxonomy as his gouty critic, but there 

 is a time and place for everything. Aldrovandi himself was 



