CLASSIFICATIONS IN NATURAL HISTORY. 2OI 



logic. Species, the translation of the Greek term ezdos, meant, 

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

 peculiar characters. Genus, the translation of the Greek 

 yevos, 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 Individual 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 Genus pro ximum, the Genus 

 medium, and the Genus summum. 



The Terms of Linn6. Linne (1735-1766) classified organisms 

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

 Genus proximu m of Scaliger, and proposed the term Or do 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 Branch; 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 Elephantidce, including the elephants and the mas- 

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

 Hipparion. 



The Classification of Cuvier. Linne recognized six classes 

 in .the Animal Kingdom {Mammalia, Aves, AmpJiibia, Pisces, 

 Insecta, Vermes). Cuvier made great progress in the distinc- 



