xl TABLE OF THE CLASSES, ORDERS, ETC., 
types (as Leguminose, Composite and other Monopetale) 
stand towards the middle of the series, and the Orders of a 
lower type occupy the ends; thus the complete-flowered 
plants with much separated organs are those with which the 
series begins, and the incomplete-flowered Orders (some of 
which have no recognized affinity with higher ones) occupy 
the end of the series. 
The extent to which this system is artificial is best illus- 
trated by a few examples, thus :-— 
10, Bixacee, passes into 58, Passifloree, various genera ac- 
tually uniting the two. 
16 and 17, Caryophyllee, passes into 62, Ficoidee, 99, Phyto- 
laccee, 101, Amaranthacee, and 101, Paronychiee. 
22, Malvaceae, passes into 109, Euphorbiaceae. 
34, Olacinee, passes into 65, Cornee, 66, Loranthacee, and 108, 
Santalacee ; and many other cases might be quoted of Orders 
removed to three far distant groups by one or two characters 
alone, and these very inconstant ones. If it is asked, why 
then not bring all together? The answer is, if we do,—l, 
we should lose all means of finding the locality of any genus, 
without hunting through every group; and 2, we must often 
then intercalate between two Orders that are most closely re- 
lated, another Order containing a vast number of plants not 
so much related to either Order as these two Orders are to one 
another. For instance, if we bring Huphorbiacee in between 
Malvacee and Tiliacee, we break up the character of the class, 
subclass, group, series, and cohort under which MWalvacee and 
Tiliacee are classed, and thrust between these a vast host of 
Euphorbiaceous genera that are not so nearly related to Mal- 
vacee as Tiliacee are. ; 
It must then be clearly understood, that the Natural Orders 
established throughout the vegetable kingdom are in the main 
perfectly natural groups, but that the so-called Natural sys- 
tem of plants is by no means a natural one, in respect of the 
sequence of the Dicotyledonous Orders, and that this is be- 
cause they cannot be arranged naturally in a linear series. 
To classify these Orders arbitrary characters have been sought 
and used, which bring a larger proportion of them into proper 
position and sequence, but remove others very far from their 
proper places.—J. D. Hooxer. 
CONSPECTUS OF THE CLASSES, COHORTS, ETC. 
Crass I. DICOTYLEDONES.—Sten, when perennial, with 
pith concentric layers of wood and bark. Leaves usually with 
branched and netted venation, Perianth usually of 4 or 5 
