Apes and their Allies, 303 



they liave much increased both in number and variety, many 

 schemes of subordinate arrangement have been devised, and 

 subgenera, sections, and subsections have been introduced, 

 often without regularity and without principle : which joined 

 with the numerous synonymes which authors have imposed, 

 and different systematists not only giving different names to the 

 same individual, but also describing different individuals under 

 the same appellation, has introduced much irrelative obscurity; 

 and tended not a little to increase that confusion, in which this 

 interesting department of the animal reign is still partially 

 involved. The tail-less, short-tailed, and long-tailed sections, 

 as enumerated by Ray and others, although in part obvious, 

 are far too vague distinctions; and the anatomical structure of 

 the animals arranged by them, as Apes, Baboons, and Mon- 

 keys, by no means justified the distribution. This arrange- 

 ment, therefore, requires to be carefully remodelled ; so that, if 

 possible, without losing sight of the obvious distinctions of our 

 elders, their groups may be corrected, and their plan enlarged 

 and strengthened by the researches of modern times. 



On a general view of this (the Manupeda or Quadrumana) 

 as of the other types of animals, after having associated into 

 one group all accidental or slight variations from some normal 

 specimen, thus by the union of varieties which are akin to 

 each other, constituting a species, it is found that two or more 

 species, although not so near akin to each other as are the 

 varieties which constitute each species, still are more inti- 

 mately connected than either of them to certain other groups, 

 which, although of the same kind, are not (as our provincial 

 dialect would express it) of the same kith or kin. These asso- 

 ciations are called indifferently, genera or subgenera, or sub- 

 sections of subgenera, &c. Again, these yroups of species, 

 although distinct from, are more closely allied to, each other, 

 than any of them to certain larger groups, whi(^h comprise the 

 groups of species, but which are not of the same kind. Some- 

 times it happens that only a single species or genus may be 

 known of a given kind, but more frequently there are several 

 Or many ; and often there are several kinds which form asso- 

 ciations among themselves, more intimate than with certain 

 Other kinds, being what in familiar language is called a race ; 



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