K. E. VON BAER. — PHILOSOPHICAL FRAGMENTS. 237 



classes and families of animals. If we keep this in view, we 

 shall easily recognise the true Insects as a higher stage of deve- 

 lopment than the Arachnida and Crustacea. We shall hold the 

 Batrachia to be diflferent enough to separate them, with De 

 Blainville, from the Reptilia as a distinct class. And, in fact, 

 what have they in common with the latter, than that they are 

 not Fish, nor Birds, nor Mammals ? 



y^ jgjfc-i(^5:tT^j / Scholium, yi^T7r,Ge«fra/i2e*w/t,,-^^^ fj^ ^^,1 , 



If we review the contents of all the Scholia, a universal result 

 proceeds from them. We found that the action of reproduction 

 consists in elevating a Part into a Whole (Schol. II.) : that, in 

 the course of development, its independence in relation to that 

 which is around it increases (Schol. II.), as well as the determi- 

 nateness of its form (Schol. I.): that in the internal development, 

 the more special parts are developed from the more general, and 

 their speciality increases (Schol. III.) : that the individual, as 

 the possessor of a determinate organic form, gradually passes 

 from the more general form into the more special (Schol. V.) ; 

 and therefore the most general result of these investigations and 

 considerations may well be thus expressed : — 



TTie history of the development of the individual is the history 

 of its increasing individuality in all respects. 



This general result is indeed so simple, that it would seem 

 to need no demonstration, but to be cognizable a priori. But 

 we believe that this simplicity is only the stamp and evidence of 

 its truth. If the nature of the history of development had been 

 from the first so recognized as we have just expressed it, it 

 would and must have been a deduction thence, that the indi- 

 vidual of any particular animal form attains it by passing from 

 the more general into the special form. But experience every- 

 where teaches that deductions become much more certain if 

 their results are previously made out by observation. Man 

 must have received a greater spiritual endowment than he ac- 

 tually possesses for it to be otherwise. 



If, however, the general result which has just been expressed 

 be well based and true, then there is one fundamental thought 

 which runs through all forms and grades of animal development. 



