Volume 1

The history of British fishes / [Robert Hamilton].

  • Hamilton, Robert, M.D.
Date:
[1876]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of British fishes / [Robert Hamilton]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    verse. Gesner, in liis work on animals, whicli was SO far designed to be a compilation, inserted some of Rondelet’s articles entire, and copied his figures. Rondelet has not escaped the charge of pla- giarism ; but it rests on so slight a foundation, that it would be unnecessary to allude to the subject, were it not for the respectable parties by whom it lias been preferred. ]\I. de Thou and Sealiger allege that Rondelet derived his materials from a manuscrijit of William Pellicicr, Bishop of jMor.tjiellier, which formed a commentary on Pliny’s Natural History ; and that these commentaries were afterwards either lost or suppressed. But this is a mere assertion, without the shadow of proof. Rondelet was well known in his day to he a skilful and able naturalist, and to devote his attention more particularly to the history of fishes; and there is nothing in his work which one circumstanced as he was, was not perfectly competent to produce. In absence of every thing like probability, or evidence of any kind to the con- trary, it is quite superfluous to vindicate his claim to the undivided honour of the authorship.