CLASSIFICATIONS IN NATURAL HISTORY. 20r 



logic. Species, the translation of the Greek term eiSo;, meant, 

 when applied to organisms, those having a number of like and 

 peculiar characters. Genus, the translation of the Greek 

 yevo^, in logic was that which can be predicated of things 

 differing in species, and as a biological term it was applied to 

 a group which included several different species. 



Scaliger's Terms. — Scaliger expanded the Aristotelian no- 

 menclature : by him Indivichial was used to indicate a single 

 organism (plant or animal), distinguished by having a separate 

 body, and having a separate and independent activity. Species 

 was used in the Aristotelian sense, but Genus was found of 

 three degrees of importance: the Geuus proxiiiium, the Genus 

 medium, and the Genus suinnium. 



The Terms of Linn6. — Linne (i 735-1 766) classified organisms 

 (both plants and animals), retained the name Genus for the 

 Genus proximum of Scaliger, and proposed the term Ordo for 

 Genus medium and Classis for Genus summum. 



Cuvier's Perfection of the Nomenclature and the Present Usage. 

 — These names were later adopted by Cuvier, about the be- 

 ginning of the present century, and he added the term Em- 

 branchment, or Brancli; and thus was established the nomen- 

 ture still in use in Biology, which in English is as follows : 

 Individual, Species, Genus, Order, Class, and Branch (or Sub- 

 kingdom, or Phylum, or Type). To illustrate the meaning 

 of these divisions the following examples may be given: A 

 black and a bay horse would be called two individuals of the 

 same species. The horse and the ass are two species of the 

 same genus {Equus). A horse, an ass, and an elephant all 

 belong to one order {Pachydermatd). ^The horse, ass, ele- 

 phant, and lion are of the same class {Mammalia). All these 

 would be united in the same branch with the alligator (the 

 branch Vertebrata^. Further subdivision has been very com- 

 monly made of the order into suborders or families, viz., the 

 family of ElepJiantidcc, including the elephants and the mas- 

 todon, and the family of Equidcv, including the horse and the 

 Hipparion. 



The Classification of Cuvier. — Linne recognized six classes 

 in the Animal Kingdom {Mammalia, Aves, Amphibia, Pisces, 

 Insecta, Vcrincs^. Cuvier made great progress in the distinc- 



