1010.] De Blaimille, 1816. 77 



together "les Cheiropteres," "les Taupes" and "les Phoques," a more or less 

 unnatural arrangement which was greatly improved in the later classification. 



The classification under discussion gives up the effort to arrange genera 

 in a linear series forming "natural transitions" (contrast Cuvier, Illiger) 

 especially between orders, and later, in the " Osteographie," in the discussion 

 of Palceotherium, Anoplothermm, etc., it is clearly stated that such annectant 

 forms must be sought usually among genera long since extinct. De Blain- 

 ville's use of the term "ordre on degre d'organization" implies the recogni- 

 tion of progressive approximation toward a perfect archetype. Like most 

 other naturalists until the time of Huxley, de Blainville began his scheme 

 with the Primates. 



Finally one of the most important features of de Blainville's classification 

 is that it represents an effort to get below the adaptive superficies and to 

 seek out relatively non-adaptive or slowly adaptive characters, a conception 

 which even at the present time has not been grasped by all systematists. 



De Blainville s Classification, of 1S16. 



Mammiferes 



Sous-Classe I 

 Monodelphes 



I^"^ degre d'organization ou Ordre. 

 Quadrumanes. 

 Normaux. 



Singes du continent ancien. 



Les Singes. 



Makis 



Anomavtx. 



IP degre ou 



Ordre. 

 Carnassiers ? 

 Normaux. 



Plantigrades. 

 Digitigrades. 

 Insectivores. 

 Anomaux. 



Les Cheiropteres. 

 Les Taupes. 

 Les Phoques. 



nouveau. 

 Les Sapajoux. 



Les Makis. 

 Les Loris. 

 L 'Aye- Aye. 



Galeopitheques. 

 Tardigrades. 



