128 .— Dr. GoopENOUGH's Olfervations 
not accord with either of thefe charaéters. Perhaps the fault lies 
in including thofe with androgynous fpikes, and thofe whofe fpikes 
are diftin& in point of fex, in one family. But this carries me 
back to Michelius, one of the firft who made a feparation between 
fheiii 5 
It is true that Michelius, by dividing and fubdividing his familiés 
into fo many orders, rather obfcured the fubjeét by his laborious 
particularity. But ftill his primary divifion into two families me- 
rits fome confideration ; for it feems a natural one. For, inde- 
pendent of the fituation of the different flowers, all the an- 
drogynous fpecies, except C. pauciflora, have their ftigma bifid; 
and the reft, except three or four, trifid. Perhaps Linnaeus, though 
aware of this circumftance, had not carefully attended to it in form- 
ing his generic character. Be that as it will, this conftant differ- 
ence of the principal part of fructification, together with their out- 
ward habit (certainly very difcordant), might have warranted their 
being retained as diftinét genera; for the moft ingenious artificial 
1yftem appears to moft advantage when moft confonant with nature. 
What affinity is there in appearance between C. dioica and riparia, 
C. vulpina and capillaris? Nothing can be more diffimilar in habit, 
. in nature, and ceconomy. We all allow how impolitic it is to multi- 
ply genera without a fufficient caufe. Equally impolitic is it to 
-overload any genus with numerous fpecies, which would naturally 
divide themfelves into diftinct families. Perfpicuity is the end of 
fyftem ; and that is beft attained by avoiding each extreme. I have 
not, however, ventured to feparate them into two families. The 
Britifh fpecies, though numerous, do not abíolutely require it: but 
I can eafily conceive, that when all the known fpecies of the world 
are brought together, fome fuch divifion will contribute very much 
to the neatnefs of the fyftem, and eafe of the ftudent. I throw out 
thefe hints, not prefuming to direct, but wifhing rather to excite 
and 
— à 
