202 STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



other so harmoniously, — that he begins to think the 

 task much easier than he at first expected ; and that 

 he will not only be able to prove, by these very ex- 

 amples before him, the absolute connection of one 

 given genus to another, but also to demonstrate 

 that the scale of nature is simple — that is, passing 

 in a straight line from the highest to the lowest 

 organised forms. All these ideas, however (ge- 

 nerally resulting from partial reasoning or from 

 limited information), are soon found to be fallacious. 

 As the student proceeds, he meets with some insects 

 which disturb the regularity of his series, and with 

 others which he knows not where to place. He still 

 goes on, however, introducing the former, in the best 

 way he can, among those to which they have an evi- 

 dent affinity, and placing the latter by themselves, 

 under the hope of finally discovering their proper place. 

 The further he proceeds, however, these difficulties 

 are rather increased than diminished. He remodels 

 his groups, and alters his series ; still he cannot reduce 

 all into harmonious order. What he gains by one 

 modification of arrangement, he loses by another ; 

 and affinities, which were preserved in his first 

 series, are destroyed, that a place may be found for 

 other insects, which seem to have equally strong 

 relations, although, in some respects, they evidently 

 disturb the order of progression. But his difficul- 

 ties do not terminate here ; for, admitting the possi- 

 bility of his success in bringing every species into 

 an appropriate group, the union of these groups 

 among themselves opens a new source of embarrass- 

 ment. It is plain that, in the order of nature, they 

 must follow one another in some sort ; for if there 



