Buffon's Histoire Naturelle was an undertaking on the scale of Diderot and D'Alembert's Encyclopedie. In this “Table of the Order of Dogs," Buffon presents his definition of species (against that of Linnaeus!) as beings defined by time, environment, and interaction with people—instead of by God’s eternal plan. From the dogs at the center top of the chart, we move both forward in time and to more temperate climates where species of dog are perfected according to their relationship with mankind.