76 PERON’S RETURN TO FRANCE.

nothing of it for fifteen days. Peron did not for an
instant lose his self-possession, but paticntly prosc-
cuted his researches, and, during his stay on this
island, he, without shelter, and in despite of the
violence of the tempests, collected more than 180
species of mollusca and zoophytes, and studied,
besides, the history of those gigantic seals the
Proboscide, which assemble in thousands upon
these coasts.

At length, after an absence of three years and
a half, he returned to France in April 1804, and im-
mediately proceeded to Paris. He was there engaged
for several months in arranging his specimens and
preparing the catalogue, after which they were all
deposited in the Museum. The whole collection
was found on examination to contain more than
100,000 different animals, among which were many
new genera; and the Commission reported that the
number of new species was more than 2500, and
that Peron and Lesueur alone had made us ac-
quainted with more animals than the whole of the
travelling naturalists of modern times. In due
time the first volume of his “ Voyage aux Aus-
trales” appeared, and an opportunity was then
afforded of judging of his merits.

Peron did not live to complete the sccond
volume. His health was broken by prolonged
suffering and privation, and he sank speedily under