On the Niceties of discriminating Fossil Species. 117 
ganicRemains, and while the idea yet almost universally prevailed, 
that they were but those of individuals, from amongst the early pro- 
genitors of the same stock which yet exists alive, it was natural 
enough, that the artificial arrangement of Classes, Genera and 
Species, into which the followers of Linneus had divided all the 
known living Organized Beings, would prove alike sufficient, for 
comprehending all such Organic Remains: it is however well ob- 
served by Dr. Fleming in his Article to which I have referred, 
that the reluctance felt by the writers who preceded M. Lamarck, 
to the forming of new Genera, has rendered the descriptions of 
these writers nearly unintelligible, unless when accurate figures 
‘accompanied their descriptions. I cannot however think, that the 
Doctor has displayed equa! sagacity, in censuring Mr. Sowerby, 
in the same paragraph, for a “too great anxiety to constitute 
Species ;”” unless indeed, he meant to allude to the giving of per- 
sonal and arbitrary names, rather than local or descriptive ones, 
to those individuals which his comparisons shew, to be distinetly 
different from all the species already named, and from each other.. 
Notwithstanding the real differe+::s, which from my experience 
I believe that there exists, between the Species of the several 
successive and distinct Creations above mentioned, reason 
teaches us, that we are not to expect these differences to be in all 
cases so great and striking, as at first sight to present themselves ; 
because if this had been the case, the idea could not so long have 
prevailed, that there were no differences between great numbers 
of the Fossil and the recent Species: and it will I believe turn 
out, that as great a further latitude remains to be taken, beyond 
what Mr. Sowerby has yet done in the constituting and naming 
of new fossil Species, as Lamarck has so praiseworthily set the 
example of taking, with regard to the Linnean Genera. 
In order to proceed safely, in thus extending the number of 
Species to an accordance with nature, it will not be right torely, 
in doubtful cases, on a single Specimen, even of the most perfect 
fossil kind, for furnishing the description and selecting the es- 
sential characters of the Species; but it will be desirable, that as 
many Individuals as possible, and from as many and as distant 
Places in the range of the individual Bed to which they belong, 
should be brought together and compared; carefully excluding 
from such comparison, all Individuals which belong to higher or to 
lower Beds, than that particular one, whose organized Remains 
are under review. 
In the present state, of the only general Map of the English 
Strata which we have published, where, in all instances, a great 
number of Beds, and often several hundreds of such, are included 
under one coloured strip across the map, indicating the range of 
such assemblages of Strata, it may to some seem impracticable, 
H 3 to 
