i 



23 



which Newton afterwards proved mathematically — Newton, wha 

 was himself a student of numbers, and wrote much on the cycles 

 of History as compared with those of Astronomy. Linnaeus, too, 

 was an observer of numbers, and his well known system of 

 classification is founded strictly on numerical coincidence. The 

 theory is artificial, but the result is not so, as the following groups 

 are kept separate : — The Orchideae, the Compositae, the Labiatae, 

 the Scrophularinae, the Ranunculacese, the Rosaceae, the Um- 

 belliferae, the Cruciferae, the Cyperaceae, and the Gramineae 

 With such example before me, I need not fear to seek for constant 

 numbers in Nature. To me, at leait, it appears that what Nature 

 has thought worth doing, I may well think worth studying. At 

 any rate, as an old philosopher has said, " Homo sum, nihil 

 humanum mihi alienum puto," I may fairly add " I am a 

 naturalist ; nothing natural is uninteresting to me." 



In following the series of numbers from zero to infinity, we 

 notice that the prime numbers, or those that contain no active 

 factors, although they appear to follow no regular series, diminish 

 rapidly in number. Thus commencing with 1,2, 3, they drop off 

 to 5, 7, 11, 13, and dwindle down to such rarce aves as 31, 37, 41. 

 In our search we must likewise expect to find the smaller numbers 

 most constant, and the larger ones rare, absent, or of doubtful 

 value, as being repetitions of their factors. 



Naturally we commence with Number One. And here I am 

 obliged to confess a failure. The Naturalist seems to be in the 

 position of Hood's Postman — "He hardly seems to know 

 there is a Number One." After very careful thought, I am 

 unable to find a single item of nature, animal, vegetable, or 

 mineral, that can claim the place of unity. The seeds of certain 

 plants are called monocotyledonous, but the case is merely one of 

 partial abortion, as is proved by the plant being a strictly dual 

 structure, with stamens and pistils. The Spores of the Cryptogamia 

 have scarcely a better claim. Wherever the microscope has 



