10 



meut lately effected, will be found to be far more advantageous 

 to the Student in Natural History, and afford a sufficient 

 warranty fcir the alteration. 



It will not perhaps be out of place, briefly to state the 

 relative merits of the Linnrean and Cuverian Systems; which 

 will best shew the object sought by tiie change. 



"When Linnseus commenced the study vf Natural History, 

 he found it involved in all the obscurity that necessarily arose 

 from the want of method in nomenclature. His primary ob- 

 ject was to remedy this defect, and accordingly he established 

 Generic and Specific titles of two words only, instead of a 

 line, or even a sentence which the elder writers often employed 

 for the same purpose — having determined this, he bent his 

 mind to devise t> ready method for ascertaining the identical 

 plant or animal that fell under the Naturalist's observation; 

 for which purpose he employed frequeutlj but one character, 

 and that often a very unimportant one, (as the number and 

 position of stamens among Plants,) which was to regulate and 

 determine all the rest. Systems constructed upon this and 

 similar principles are called Arbitrary, or Arlificia!, and are 

 the very reverse of those now generally adopted by modern 

 Systematists, which are called Natural by way of contradis- 

 tinction. The nomenclature of Linnseus is excellent, and is 

 accordingly continued to the present day ; but his after en- 

 quiries were solely directed to the ascertaining the name ofthe 

 object, and ctinsequently have fallen into disuse. In the Na- 

 tural system, not one character alone of an Animal or Plant is 

 taken, but a review of the whole, so that during the very 

 time the student is employed in finding out the name of the 

 subject, he is learning its true relation to r)thers in its physi- 

 ology — he is intimately acquainted with its food and manner 

 of living if an Animal — or its qualities, medicinally or econo- 

 mically, if a Plant. The advantages ofthe latter mode are so 

 obvious, that no further explanation appears necessary, to 

 account for the changes recently introduced in the arrange- 

 ments at the Museum. 



