XIV 
ANECDOTES OF LINNAEUS. 
among the smaller kinds of animals. But he made 
it a regular science. He limited the various classes 
by plain distinctive marks, introduced the solid 
genera, determined the species, and took pains to 
lessen the great number of variations. I must 
freely own, that Linnaeus himself was very sensible 
that his system of the animal reign was not built 
upon so safe a foundation as his botany, and that 
his generical characters were far more tottering and 
more undefined. It is, however, the only system 
which comprises tho whole animal reign, which is 
certainly a great prerogative, if we only consider 
the circumstances in which Linnams found that 
science. It remained almost entirely uncultivated, 
consisted only of a few descriptions which were 
extremely deficient, and of a small number of 
copperplates, so badly executed as hardly to bo dis- 
cernible. In Ichthyology, he alone profited by the 
labours of his ill-fated friend Artedi. 
“ Linnaeus was likewise the first who separated 
the worms from the insects, defined both classes by 
real characters, and introduced genera, sorts, and 
orders — a foundation upon which almost all his 
successors built after him. He also augmented all 
the different parts of the animal reign by a very 
considerable number of new discovered species, by 
exact and more accurate descriptions, and by a 
great quantity of the most important discoveries, 
which chiefly relate to animal (Economy. 
“ Linnaeus was therefore a great man in all the 
