384 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



looked upon in this contemptible light, a Crocodile would be a 

 terrible insect indeed." To think they are excluded only by 

 their size ! 



It is astonishing that a man like Goldsmith should make 

 such an illogical statement as the above. The best that can be 

 said for it is that perhaps it is a sacrifice of sense to effect; 

 this is very unlikely, for he never wrote for effect. Genius, 

 however, is erratic, and Goldsmith, though he "wrote like an 

 angel, talked like poor Poll " ; though he was a brilliant poet, 

 he was a bad reasoner. 



Johnson, though in general he thoroughly understood Gold- 

 smith's character, and correctly valued his abilities, was hardly 

 right in describing him on the memorial in Westminster Abbey 

 as physicas. However, Johnson was quite unable to arrive at an 

 exact estimate in this matter, for natural history was a subject 

 which he understood even less than did Goldsmith, notwith- 

 standing that he knew Woodcocks must migrate ; and thought 

 he knew that Swallows " conglobulated together " at the bottoms 

 of ponds and rivers in winter time. In the sense that he wrote 

 a Natural History, Goldsmith would perhaps consider himself 

 entitled to be termed a naturalist, though some of us would be 

 glad to earn such a distinction in so easy a manner. 



He loved Nature and all God's creatures, but he possessed 

 an "invincible aversion" to caterpillars — which a naturalist 

 would ascribe to his uneducated taste; he abhorred cruelty; 

 and, with an Englishman's prejudice, hated Germany, " which 

 is noted," he writes, "if not for truth, at least for want 

 of invention." It is from this fact, among others, that he 

 considers a German book to show some good marks of 

 veracity ! 



' Animated Nature ' should be more generally read. Super- 

 ficial and out of date it is, perhaps, to the scientist, yet to 

 the field naturalist it is highly entertaining, and to the 

 student of Goldsmith's character most helpful. All nature 

 lov6rs must ever remain indebted to Goldsmith for presenting 

 to the people that which had hitherto been hidden in the 

 repulsive garb of consummate learning and scientific names, 

 and thus exciting in the subject interest which is now very 

 widespread. 



