Founds Comparative Anatomy.--Regardless of this qualification, he was a great and distinguished student, and founded comparative anatomy. From 1801 to 1805 appeared his _Leçons d' Anatomie Comparée_, a systematic treatise on the comparative anatomy of animals, embracing both the invertebrates and the vertebrates. In 1812 was published his great work on the fossil bones about Paris, an achievement which founded the science of vertebrate palæontology. His extensive examination of the structure of fishes also added to his already great reputation. His book on the animal kingdom (_Le Règne Animal distribué d'après son Organisation_, 1816), in which he expounded his type-theory, has been considered in a previous chapter. He was also deeply interested in the historical development of science, and his volumes on the rise of the natural sciences give us almost the best historical estimate of the progress of science that we have at the present day. His Domestic Life.--Mrs. Lee, in a chatty account of Cuvier, shows one of his methods of work. He had the faculty of making others assist him in various ways. Not only members of his family, but also guests in his household were pressed into service. They were invited to examine different editions of works and to indicate the differences in the plates and in the text. This practice resulted in saving much time for Cuvier, since in the preparation of his historical lectures he undertook to examine all the original sources of the history with which he was engaged. In his lectures he summarized facts relating to different editions of books, etc. Mrs. Lee also gives a picture of his family life, which was, to all accounts, very beautiful. He was devoted to his wife and children, and in the midst of exacting cares he found time to bind his family in love and devotion. Cuvier was called upon to suffer poignant grief in the loss of his children, and his direct family was not continued. He was especially broken by the death of his daughter who had grown to young womanhood and was about to be married. From the standpoint of a sincere admirer, Mrs. Lee writes of his generosity and nobility of temperament, declaring that his career demonstrated that his mind was great and free from both envy and smallness. Some Shortcomings.--Nevertheless, there are certain things in the life of Cuvier that we wish might not have been. His break with his old friends Lamarck and Saint-Hilaire seems to show a domination of qualities that were not generous and kindly; those observations of Lamarck showing a much profounder insight than any of which he himself was the author were laughed to scorn. His famous controversy with Saint-Hilaire marks a historical moment that will be dealt with in the chapter on Evolution. George Bancroft, the American historian, met him during a visit to Paris in 1827. He speaks of his magnificent eyes and his fine appearance, but on the whole Cuvier seems to have impressed Bancroft as a disagreeable man.