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of plants do we find ‘analogous groups? Iam unable satisfactorily to answer 
the question, but still I cannot help thinking as I shall by and by show that pa- 
rallel circles or groups may yet be found, and probably, when once traced will 
prove as self evident, even to the most casual observer, as the animal ones now 
are. The same remark is applicable to the Annulose and Exogens, where the 
parallel circles have not, so far as I am aware, been traced in the two kingdoms, 
but probably may readily be so, when the attempt is made by a competent ob- 
server who has made himself acquainted with the Zoological system, which, in 
first principles at least, seems to have gone far ahead of the Botanical. 
Dr. Lindley in his elements of Botany has presented us with sketches of two 
circular arrangements of plants; each perhaps superior to those of any of his 
cotemporaries, but in which, so far as my comparatively limited acquaintance with 
the subject of circular arrangements, and indeed with the relationships of the 
vegetable kingdom generally, enables me to follow him, he does not appear to 
have succeeded in bringing out the affinities and analogies of his vegetable circles* 
so clearly as Zoologists have their animal ones. In this opinion I may perhaps 
be greatly in error and in venturing to express it may only be exposing my own 
ignorance of the subject, but still, such is the impression conveyed to my mind 
by their examination. The first series of analogies between the two kingdoms is 
however known, and when Botanists have succeeded in tracing the second it seems 
probable the subsequent ones will prove less difficult, as the mass of knowledge 
of vegetable structure and function already acquired, but hitherto only sparing- 
ly applied to such purposes, will supply many new elements well adapted for 
forwarding the work of systematic arrangement. Jussieu founded his secondary 
divisions, in the Exogens, on the absence or presence of petals and on their be- 
ing one or more: hence his apetalous monopetalous and polypetalous groups: 
and his terteary ones on the relative position of the ovary to the flower, that is, 
whether the stamens have an inferior (hypogynous) superior (epigynous) or 
middle (perigynous) attachment. DeCandolle has adopted this method with con- 
siderable modifications, but Ido not think improvements as a natural arrange- 
ment, though well calculated to facilitate its use in practice. 
Professors Lindley and Endlicher have each constructed arrangements of 
the natural orders, or Natural Systems of Botany, both very different from each 
other and from their apparently more simple, though less natural predecessors. 
This improvement they seem to have accomplished by the avoidance of what 
may be called-linear characters, which must inevitably, in some part of their 
course, become constrained and artificial; causing, like the Adjutant’s measur- 
ing rod, the widest separation of brothers, simply because the one happens to be 
_ the tallest the other the shortest man in. his Regiment. By allowing greater 
scope or circularity to their divisional characters, they have been enabled to 
