X PEEFACE. 



lity to procure them, nor will their candid authors impute it to disrespect. 

 Men gain nothing by depreciating their fellows. 



A treatise such as the present must be necessarily impaired by many 

 inequalities. Lists of synonyms, so copiously introduced in the valuable 

 writings of Lamarck and Dr George Johnston, become less important here, 

 where every subject described is represented. Likewise, as the structure 

 of the skeleton of zoophytes is very obscure during life, little is said of it, 

 from being so copiously illustrated by this last named author, by M. de 

 Blainville, an eminent French naturalist ; and nearly a century ago by 

 Ellis. 



There may be numerous deficiencies in nomenclature : Nor do I 

 entertain so great a reverence for new names, as immediately to abandon 

 the old. Most of the arts and sciences, it is true, have a jargon peculiar 

 to themselves, tending too much to obstruct the facility of their acquisi- 

 tion, though useful when conquered. But nothing can be more appalling 

 to the eager student, in quest of knowledge, than a repulsive array of un- 

 intelligible phrases, intercepting the objects of curiosity from his under- 

 standing. Those familiar with names never think of enquiring after roots, 

 nor would the greater part be easily comprehended if found. The lan- 

 guage of social intercourse remaining unchanged, proves it sufficiently ex- 

 plicit without recurrence to roots for its derivation. 



Neither have I hurried after the multiplication of genera, which now 

 so freely adopted, will probably lead to such embarrassment, that an epoch 

 may not be distant, when the more enlarged views of succeeding natura- 

 lists shall concentrate their number, by restoring the disjointed members 

 to their previous position. 



The sciences benefit little from the mere enumeration of a multitude 

 of species by name, which must be held as a meagre substitute for the 

 shortest commentary on their nature : Neither can the most copious de- 

 scription of living creatures convey an adequate knowledge of their form 

 without repi-esentation. 



The progress of science is very slow. New observations are seldom 

 diffused in less than seven or ten years, unless those hasty and sometimes 



