TRANSCENDENTAL ATTEMPT AT CLASSIFICATION. 179 



traced through the animals or types of other groups ; but 

 should the habits of Thersites lead it to frequent the 

 water (like the Buffaloes) more than any other species of 

 true oxen a supposition highly probable the analogy 

 to the Cetacea and the Natatores would be direct. When 

 we find in all the other four types such a surprising 

 representation of the same peculiarities, we are justified in 

 believing that want of information alone prevents this 

 analogy from being so complete as the others. These 

 analogies, in point of fact, may be traced through the 

 whole of the principal groups in this order, the most 

 important, and the most numerous of ungulated animals/' 

 Our luminous classifier then triumphantly winds up : : 

 "Having now demonstrated, in one of the very lowest 

 groups of quadrupeds, the validity of those principles of 

 natural classification we have so often illustrated/' &c. 



Let us not be confounded with high-sounding terms ; 

 let us rather endeavour to ascertain the meaning of them, if 

 indeed they possess a meaning. Here we have, under 

 the head of " Genus Bos the Natural Types " (see 

 p. 178), certain words arranged in regular columns, Avhich, 

 at a first glance, appear as though they were intended to 

 bear some relation to each other. But let us ask the 

 most ordinary observer, or the most profound observer, 

 or the observer of any grade or shade between these two 

 extremes, what resemblance what relation what ana- 

 logy can be discovered between an ordinary bull (Taurus) 

 and a man, a monkey, or a bat (Primates) or between 

 Taurus and the Incessores (Perching Birds) ? Or between 

 Buffaloes, whose horns are partially covered with skin 

 (Dermaceros), and cocks and hens (Rasores) ? Can any 

 one say wherein consists the similarity between a dwarf 



