great opinion of the closet-naturalists and
"babblers about teeth," as he contemptuously called them.

"When a family of animals," continued Lucien, "contains a great many
species, and these species differ widely from each other, I admit that
it may then be convenient and useful to class them into genera, and
sometimes even sub-genera; but, on the other hand, when there are only a
few species, and these closely allied to each other, I think nothing can
be more ridiculous than this dividing and subdividing, and giving such
unpronounceable names to them. It is this that renders the study
difficult, because even the committing to memory such a string of
unmeaning phrases is of itself no easy task. Take, for example, such a
phrase as `_Arctomys spermophilus Rickardsonii_,' which, although nearly
a yard long, means simply the `tawny marmot.' Do not mistake me,"
continued Lucien; "I do not object to the use of the Greek or Latin
phraseology used in such cases. Some universal language must be
adopted, so that the naturalists of different countries may understand
each other. But then this language should, when translated, describe
the animal, by giving some of its characteristics, and thus have a
meaning. On the contrary, it usually, when put into plain English,
gives us only the name--often a clumsy and unpronounceable German one--
of some obscure friend of the author, or, as is not unfrequently the
case, some lordly patron for whom your closet-naturalist entertains a
flunkeyish regard, and avails himself of this means of making it known
to his Maecenas. In my opinion," continued Lucien, warming with the
enthusiasm of a true naturalist, "it is a most impertinent interference
with the beautiful things of Nature--her birds and quadrupeds, her
plants and flowers--to couple them with the names of kings, princes,
lords, and lordlings, who chance to be the local gods of some
closet-naturalist. It is these catalogue-makers who generally multiply
synonymes so as to render science unintelligible. Sitting in their
easy-chairs they know little or nothing of the habits of the animals
about which they write; and therefore, to write something original, they
multiply names, and give measurements _ad infinitum_, and this among
them constitutes a science. I do not, of course, include among these
the man whose name is given--Richardson. No; he was a true naturalist,
who travelled and underwent hardships to earn the high name which he