188 STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



CHAP. III. 



ON ARRANGEMENTS GENERALLY J AND ON THOSE CON- 

 SIDERATIONS WHICH SHOULD FORM THE BASIS OF 

 EVERY ATTEMPT TO CLASSIFY OBJECTS ACCORDING 

 TO THE SYSTEM OF NATURE. 



(129.) The innumerable objects composing the 

 animal world, maybe compared to the isolated facts 

 of all physical sciences. For unless they are ar- 

 ranged and digested under proper heads, no general 

 conclusions from them can be drawn. No sooner, 

 therefore, has the naturalist become acquainted 

 with the forms of the objects he studies, than he 

 proceeds to arrange them according to their agree- 

 ments and disagreements. He first places them in 

 primary groups, as an entomologist would separate 

 the beetles from the butterflies ; and these, from the 

 bees and the flies : from each of these, again, he 

 proceeds to make other divisions ; separating the 

 butterflies which fly by day, from those which are 

 nocturnal, and so on. This is arrangement or 

 classification ; from which all systems or methods 

 originate. Now, it is obvious, that if we are not 

 guided in this proceeding by some general rules 

 known to be universally applicable, every one may 

 consider himself qualified to follow his own im- 

 pressions, and to make that arrangement which he 

 thinks best. Hence have originated the innumer- 



