40 CUVIEU 



an erroneous application to the totality of creation of partial 

 observations, which have validity only when confined to the 

 sphere within which they were made." l This remark, which 

 is after all only just, perfectly expresses Cuvier's attitude to 

 the transcendental theories, and was probably a protest 

 against the sweeping generalisations of his colleague, 

 Etienne Geoffrey St Hilaire. 



A true classification should be based upon the comparison 

 of all organs, but all organs are not of equal value for 

 classification, nor are all the variations of each organ 

 equally important. In estimating the value of variations 

 more stress should be laid on function than on form, for 

 only those variations are important which affect the 

 mode of functioning. These are the principles on which 

 Cuvier bases the classification of animals given in the Lccons, 

 Article V., " Division des animaux d'apres 1'ensemble de leur 

 organisation." The scheme of classification actually given in 

 the Lccons recalls curiously that of Aristotle, for there is the 

 same broad division into Vertebrates, with red blood, and 

 Invertebrates, almost all with white blood. Nine classes 

 altogether are distinguished Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, 

 Fishes, Molluscs, Crustacea, Insects, Worms, Zoophytes 

 (including Echinoderms and Ccelenterates). 



A maturer theory and practice of classification is given 

 in the Rcgne Animal of seventeen years later. Here the 

 principle of the subordination of characters (which seems to 

 have been first explicitly stated by the younger de Jussieu in 

 his Genera Plantaniui, I789, 2 ) is more clearly recognised. 

 The properties or peculiarities of structure which have the 

 greatest number of relations of incompatibility and coexist- 

 ence, and therefore influence the whole in the greatest degree, 

 are the important or dominating characters, to which the 

 others must be subordinated in classification. These dominant 

 characters are also the most constant/ 5 In deciding which 

 characters arc the most important Cuvier makes use of his 

 fundamental classification of functions and organs into two 

 main sets. " The heart and the organs of circulation are 



1 Ri'gne Animal, i., p. xx. 



2 Cuvier, Hist. Prog. Set. Nat., i., p. 288, 1826. 

 ' Ri'gne Animal, i., p. 10. 



