SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 57 



Flower (69). Our great leader is the more censu- 

 rable, as the Flowers and Seeds of those Plants, 

 properly studied, afford all-sufficient Generic Cha- 

 racters. See Engl. Fl. v. 2. 



The parts of Fructification themselves, so far as 

 their differences do not enter into the Generic Cha- 

 racters, often display most excellent Specific marks. 

 Such now and then serve to divide a genus into Sec- 

 tions ; as the Petals in Iris, and the Styles in Hype- 

 ricum. 



The more concise a Specific Character, the better 

 it is. As in philosophy, it is not allowed to recur to 

 two causes for the explanation of any phenomenon, 

 when one is sufficient, so if one idea will serve to di- 

 stinguish a Species, no more should be admitted. If 

 more be necessary, as is generally the case in large 

 Genera, they should be so disposed and contrasted, 

 in the several Specific definitions, as to strike the 

 mind at once forcibly and distinctly. This cannot 

 be done if characters be much extended. Linnaeus 

 has therefore limited each definition to twelve words. 

 There is no magic in this number, but I believe it is 

 seldom exceeded with any good effect. Much will 

 depend, after all, on the wording and construction 

 of the sentence. A weak character of half a dozen 

 words may be puzzling and insufficient ; while a 

 much longer may be clear, and readily conceived as 

 well as compared, at one view. 



All the terms and definitions should be precise, 



