CLASSIFICATION. 89 
that the natural arrangement therefore is represented 
by a series of circles, constituting together a net-work, 
of which the meshes or subordinate circles touch at 
their circumference other circles, having near relations 
with them ; the whole uniting to form a great circle. 
According to this idea, the animal kingdom consists of a 
certain number of grand divisions arranged in a cir- 
cular form, each of these circles consisting again of the 
same number of classes forming another circular series 
within the preceding. These again are divided and sub- 
divided into others representing orders, families and 
genera. The number of parts constituting each of 
these circles is supposed to be the same. Thus, for 
instance, in one of these systems five genera are 
included in each family, five families in each order, and 
so on to the grand divisions, which are also five. The 
authors and advocates of the systems are by no means 
agreed as to the governing number adopted by nature, 
three, four, five, and seven, having been respectively 
proposed. They are all known as circular systems, and 
receive their peculiar designation from the numler pro- 
posed, as ternary, quinary, &c. 
It cannot be denied that every animal has other 
animals clustered around it by various relations, and 
that any system of grouping founded on these relations, 
tends apparently to a circular arrangement. But it is 
equally true that every attempt to discover the governing 
principle which presides in the arrangement has been 
hitherto unsuccessful. Notwithstanding that much lcam- 
VOL. I. 2-1 
