246 SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE ORGANISM 



impossible to deduce the number or law or specifications of 

 the species from the genus. Mere " classification," if we 

 may reserve the honorable name of systematics for the 

 rational type, is possible here, a mere statement in the form 

 of a catalogue, useful for orientation but for nothing more. 

 We may classify all varieties of hats or of tables in the 

 same way. 



BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMATICS 



At this point we return from our logical excursion 

 to our proper subject of biology ; for I am sorry to 

 say biological systematics is at present of our second 

 type of systematics throughout : it is classification pure 

 and simple. We have a catalogue in our hands, but 

 nothing more. 



Such a statement of fact conveys not a particle of 

 censure, casts not the least reflection on the gifted men 

 who created the classification of animals or plants. It is 

 absolutely necessary to have such a catalogue, and indeed the 

 catalogue of the organisms can be said to have been 

 improved enormously during the advance of empirical and 

 descriptive biological science. Any classification improves 

 as it becomes more " natural," as the different possible 

 schemes of arrangement, the different reasons of division, 

 agree better and better in their results ; and, in fact, there 

 has been a great advance of organic classification in this 

 direction. The " natural " system has reached such perfec- 

 tion, that what is related from one point of view seems 

 nearly related also from almost all points of view which are 

 applicable, at least from those which touch the most 



