190 Mr. G. R. Waterhouse’s Description of 
I mean the “ net-work theory ,” as I have heard it termed. I per- 
ceived that these supposed affinities were in fact analogies. My 
next step was to make notes of these various analogies as I went 
through each group, and in so doing I found, as I thought, that 
each group preserved analogous representations to all other groups 
which are of equal value, and of the same greater section. For 
instance, I found analogies in one section of the Coleoptera to 
almost every other section of equal value, and I perceived that in 
the order Coleoptera there were analogous representations to almost 
nearly all the other orders of insects ; and through the kindness of 
my friends I found no difficulty in collecting together, as before 
stated, a series of specimens to exhibit to the Society in illustra- 
tion of these views. 
In studying other branches of natural history I have found no 
reason to abandon these views ; on the contrary, they seem to be 
confirmed. They have therefore been brought before the Society 
in the hopes of calling attention to the subject, as I think it one 
of great importance, and may go a great way to prove or disprove 
an exceedingly ingenious and favourite theory — I mean the circular 
and quinary system ; for it may happen that in the formation of 
this theory analogies may in some instances have been mistaken 
for affinities. Before I conclude these remarks I will merely ob- 
serve, that there appears to me to be three circumstances, each 
of which may give an appearance of correctness to the theory of 
the circular arrangement of animals, and yet that idea may still 
be erroneous. 
In the first place, a group may be so arranged that the last 
species may be an analogous representation of the first, and if this 
be looked upon as an affinity, it might then be said that the last, 
possessing an affinity with the first, the group could only be 
arranged naturally by placing the species in a circular manner. 
Again, it may so happen that certain species are removed from 
their natural affinities and wrongly placed, but so disposed that 
they possess an affinity to the first ; here again, not to destroy 
this affinity, we must arrange the species in a circle. 
The third case is this — supposing a certain series of species 
follow in succession according to their affinities, and we will ima- 
gine them to be placed in a straight line ; now in the middle of 
this line there may be a species which bears an analogous repre- 
sentation to the group which commences the series; if this species, 
together with a few others immediately allied, be removed from 
their natural situation, and placed at the end of the line, and the 
case of analogy be called an affinity, the natural way to arrange 
