(518 TAXONOMY. 



chief groups of beetles, which are here made equivalent to the other 

 tribes, are much more closely allied together, and should properly form 

 but one tribe ; besides that in the tribe Neuroptera there are insects 

 with perfect and imperfect metamorphoses, which is opposed to the 

 principles of the system. Many objections might also be made to 

 the arrangement of the families within each group, but this would lead 

 us too far. 



The systems of other German naturalists, which are founded upon 

 philosophical principles, merely diverge from that of Linnaeus in the 

 consecutive arrangement of the orders : we will therefore no longer 

 dwell upon them, but only cite Goldfuss and Wilbrand as their 

 projectors. 



351. 



We now come to the system of M'Leay *. The following are the 

 principles which guided him in the distribution. 



1. All natural groups of' the kingdom of nature return within 

 themselves, and, consequently, present themselves in the form of 

 circles. 



2. Each of these circles contains five other circles, which are con- 

 nected together in the same way. 



3. Where these circles join, there are intermediate groups by means 

 of which they are still more closely connected. 



4. The members of each circle, which are at the points where the 

 circles meet, exhibit analogies. 



According to these principles, organic nature is divided into two 

 large circles, one of which comprises the vegetables and the other the 

 animals. Each consists of five circles, which, in the animal kingdom, 

 are the following : Acrita (Infusories and Polypes'), which are 

 bordered on the one side by the Mollusca. and on the other by the 

 Radial a (Medusa and Echinodernia) ; next to the Radial a stand 

 the Anmdosa (Crustacea, insects), and to the Mollusca the Vertebrata, 

 which pass over to insects by means of the fishes, and to the Mollusca, 

 by the amphibia. The Annulosa, which chiefly concern us here, again 

 consist of five principal groups, which have the following characters and 

 boundaries. 



* Sec his HOI-JC Entomologies. LonJ. liiiil. ii vol. ovo., and Linneau Transactions, 

 vol. xiv. p. 46, &c. 



