51 
MEMOIR OF SWAMMERDAM. 
business of life; and numerous other errors, from 
which his good sense and general intelligence, if left 
to themselves, would have sufficed to preserve him. 
After his death, his museum was ottered for sale 
for five thousand florins ; but no one appearing to 
give even that sum, so far below its real value, it 
was disposed of in small lots. It was thus completely 
dispersed, and lost for ever to men of science. The 
anatomical preparations were very numerous, and he 
had carefully preserved every thing relating to his 
entomological and other investigations, that he might 
have them to appeal to as unquestionable vouchers of 
the truth of his statements. He had collected about 
three thousand different species of insects ; many 
of the kinds occurring in his neighbourhood he had 
preserved in their various states, having been accus- 
tomed to hatch the eggs artificially, and watch the 
progressive changes of the larvae that spring from 
them. His instruments, microscopes, &c., shared 
the same fate with the objects on which they had 
been employed. Boerhaave deposited the manu- 
scripts and drawings which came into his possession, 
and furnished him with materials for the Biblia Na- 
tures and an account of its author’s life, in the public 
library of the University of Leyden, that they might 
remain as a monument to the talents and zeal of his 
distinguished countryman. 
Considerable curiosity must naturally be felt to 
become acquainted with the means adopted by this 
lynx-eyed anatomist to effect those beautiful dis- 
coveries which distinguish his name so highly above 
