345 



co]S"sideratio:n"s on the term '^ species'' apropos of a 

 new work by m. jordan. 



BY FRAN9OIS CREPIN, 



Professor' of Botany a " VEcole d'Horticulture,'' Gand. 



During tlie last century, Linneiis, in face of the chaos bequeathed to us 

 by the ancients, cast his scrutinizing eye over the animal and vegetable world, 

 and labom-ed to unravel their ajDparent confusion ; he divided the organic 

 creation into groups of different values and importance, and distributed them 

 into orders, sub-orders, genera, and finally into species. Later, he found that 

 the greater divisions were defective, and they were modified ; the genera, in 

 their turn, or at least a great number of them, were also altered, reduced, 

 augmented or dismembered. There was nothing extraordinary in this, for 

 the groups being systematic, were often arbitrary ; it was part of their des- 

 tiny to vary. Such as are now established, in our da}^, will not always re- 

 main so ; for future classifiers will find that their studies will be simplified 

 by modifpng them afresh, or that in modifying them they will approach 

 more nearly to the plan which nature seems to have adopted. At j^resent 

 Linneus is almost cast out of sight in our modern classifications. His genius 

 foresaw, but did not discover, the natural method of which we are so boast- 

 ful ; his system was bad, and no regret ought to be felt that it has been 

 thrown aside. But was the illustrious Swedish reformer more skilful in 

 forming his species % Until recent times this has generally been admitted, 

 and in a small number of fixed types, it has always been believed that he 

 was happy in defining and limiting the species. It appears, however, that 

 M. Jordan does not partake of this general opinion : take his OAvn words : — 

 " The vegetable forms wliicli have occupied our attention have been hitherto 



neglected The earlier botanists, confining their attention to those 



plants which appeared interesting, either on account of theii' utility or grace- 

 fulness, described but a very restricted number of species. Linneus only 

 admitted to the rank of species those forms which could be distinguished 

 at first sight, and of which a description was easily made. The result of 

 this is that the greater portion of the Linnean species, are rather assemblages 



