MEMOIR OF ARISTOTLE. 
101 
trieB, presented singular opportunities for gathering 
materials on Zoological history; and accordingly, 
Pliny informs us that some thousands of persons 
were employed for this purpose, both in Greece and 
the East, and at an expense of £200,000. The 
same author labours to describe with what ardour 
and zeal that illustrious hero, during the course of 
his expedition, collected and sent to his preceptor 
whatever rarities were to be found in parks, or ponds, 
or aviaries, or hives, or were to be procured by hunt- 
ing, fishing, and fowling, throughout the wide ex- 
tent of Asia*. Such were the resources which the 
Stagirite had at his command for writing the His- 
tory of Animals, besides the assistance of a volumi- 
nous library, in which, no doubt, was treasured up 
the knowledge of preceding naturalists. By com- 
bining with the descriptions in his books the obser- 
vations of those living wonders transported from the 
* The following is the original passage in Pliny in re- 
ference to this subject : “ Alexandro magno rege inflam- 
mato cupidine animalium natures noscendi, delegataque 
comment atione Aristotcli, summo in omni scientia viro, ali- 
quot millia hominum in totius Asia? Grteciseque tractu pa- 
rere jussit, omnium quos vcnatus, aucupia, piscatusque ale- 
bant, quibusque vivaria, armenta, alvearia, piscinas, avi- 
aria, in cura erant ; ne quid usque in gentium ignoraretur 
ab eo, quos percontando quinquaginta ferme voluminibus 
ilia praclara de animalibus condidit.” — Nat. Hist. lib. viii, 
c. 17. The sum of 800 talents, which, according to Athe- 
nasus, was granted by Alexander to his preceptor for the 
improvement of science, may be estimated at one-fifth part 
of the annual expense of the army by which that prince 
conquered Asia. 
