19 



Linnaeus was busy at that time preparing the first 

 edition of his "Systema Naturae". Artedi was able to 

 give him as a contribution to that work a survey of 

 his own system of classification of Fishes, including de- 

 tailed descriptions of the different genera and, further- 

 more, an intimation of the classification of the Um- 

 belliferse, which he had devised with special reference 

 to the occurrence of the involucrum, a classification 

 which he hoped to work out more thoroughly when 

 he should have completed his labours upon Fishes. As 

 soon as Linnaeus had had time to incorporate these con- 

 tributions in his own work, the two friends betook 

 themselves to Amsterdam and waited upon Seba. The 

 result of the interview was, that Artedi undertook, "on 

 the promise of a fair and honourable remuneration", 

 to deal with Seba's collection of fishes. He set to work 

 at once to write descriptions of genera and species, and 

 to investigate the synonymy, the work making excellent 

 progress under his hands. 



Linnaeus, after the introduction of his friend to 

 Seba was accomplished, returned naturally to his own 

 labours at Leyden and Hartecamp, but had no sooner 

 got his "Fundamenta Botanica" finished, than he ex- 

 perienced a great desire to resume personal intercourse 

 with Artedi as in the old days at Upsala, that he might 

 consult him and hear his advice and suggestions. Armed 

 with his newly completed work, therefore, he jour- 

 neyed to Amsterdam to lay it before Artedi. His re- 

 ception there was as cordial as ever, the visit proving, 

 indeed, very opportune and welcome, inasmuch as Ar- 

 tedi, too, had a work ready to submit to his friend's 

 approval, his "Philosophia Ichthyologiae", which he pro- 

 ceeded to read aloud from beginning to end. Linnaeus 

 tells us \ "Though anxious to get to work at other tasks, 

 I was not allowed to depart until I had looked through 

 all his ichthyological works and communicated to him 

 those criticisms which occurred to me concerning the 



1 In the above-mentioned Introduction to Artedt's "Ichthyo- 

 logia". 



