27 



lion towards the reptiles ; the line by which their standing would be 

 represented, commences at a higher level than the preceding, and although 

 elongated, would be less long than that of the Elasmobranchii. 



The Teleostei or true fishes would be represented by a line commencing 

 higher up than any of the preceding, but the line itself would be less 

 prolonged than those representative of the Elasmobrauchii and Ganoidei, 

 the range of variation being much less. There is no excessive develop- 

 ment of any system or organ. The Teleosteans are typical fishes and 

 evince no tendency to approach to the reptiles. 



The principles above enunciated may be better understood by their ap- 

 plication to other departments of the animal kingdom, or to the vegetable 

 kingdom. The sequence in a descending order of the branches of the 

 former kingdom, now almost universally adopted, is first, the Vertebrata ; 

 secondly, the Articulata ; thirdly, the Mollusca ; fourthly, the Radiata, 

 and finally the Protozoa. It will be denied by no naturalist at the pres- 

 ent day, that no regular and continuous chain or series is formed by those 

 animals from the Protozoa to the Vertebrata. For although the Vertebra- 

 ta, as a group, rank higher than the Articulata, and they above the Mol- 

 lusca, and the Mollusca are superior to the Eadiata, there are still repre- 

 sentatives of each of those branches that evince a higher degree of intel- 

 ligence and greater complexity of organization than some of the represen- 

 tatives of the branches which precede them. The Branchiostoma or 

 Pharyngobranchii, for example, would be considered inferior to many of 

 the higher Articulata, and to the higher Mollusca, especially those of the 

 class of Cephalopods. 



The lower orders of worms, and the representatives of the inferior 

 classes of the branch of Articulates, are much inferior in complexity of or- 

 ganization to the higher Mollusks. The Bryozoa of the Molluscous branch 

 would also by almost all naturalists be considered as of an inferior grade to 

 the Echinoderms of the branch of Radiates. Many classes and orders of 

 the animal kingdom will furnish similar illustrations ; it is unnecessary 

 to more than allude to them here, as instances will at once occur to the 

 practised naturalist. It will suffice to point to the lower insects in com- 

 parison with the higher Crustaceans, and to the lower representatives of 

 the latler class and the higher worms. 



The divisions of plants which appear to correspond to the branches of 

 the animal kingdom are the Phanerogams, the Acrogens and the Thallo. 

 phytes. In the former branch, the sequence of the classes adopted by the 

 botanists is that of Exogens, Gymnosperms and Endogens. But there are 

 many Exogenous plants which afford examples of lower organization 

 than Gymnosperms. or than many of the Endogens. or even than many of 

 the Filicales* among the branch of Acrogens. 



* Are not the Ferns and their allies entitled to as high rank in their branch 

 of Acrogens as are the Echinoderms, Acalephs and Polyps in their branch of 

 radiated animals ? And do not the Acrogens as a branch include both the true 

 Acrogens and the Anophytes ? 



