LINN.EUS 329 



understood to apply to the plants which you have 

 associated. In such cases as you refer to, I followed 

 the logical rule, of borrowing the name a potiori, from 

 the principal member. Can you' (he added) 'give 

 me the character of any single order ? ' Giseke. ' Surely, 

 the character of the Umbellatae is, that they have an 

 umbel ? ' LinncBUs. ' Good ; but there are plants which 

 have an umbel, and are not of the Umbellatse.' G. * I 

 remember. We must therefore add, that they have two 

 naked seeds.' L, ' Then, Echinophora, which has only 

 one seed, and Eryngium, which has not an umbel, will 

 not be Umbellatee ; and yet they are of the order.' 

 G. ' I would place Eryngium among the Aggregatse.' 

 L. ' No ; both are beyond dispute Umbellatse. Eryngium 

 has an involucrum, five stamina, two pistils, &c. Try 

 again for your character.' G. ' I would transfer such 

 plants to the end of the order, and make them form the 

 transition to the next order. Eryngium would connect 

 the Umbellatse with the Aggregatse.' L. * Ah ! my 

 good friend, the transition from order to order is one 

 thing ; the character of an order is another. The 

 transitions I could indicate ; but a character of a 

 natural order is impossible. I will not give my reasons 

 for the distribution of natural orders which I have 

 published. You or some other person, after twenty or 

 after fifty years, will discover them, and see that I was 

 in the right.' " 



ESTIMATE OF LINNiEUS 



Cuvier ^ sets forth the merits of Linnaeus in a passage 

 wliich is both just and instructive, so far as it goes : — 

 "Aimable, bienveillant, entour^ de disciples enthousi- 

 astes, dont il se faisait autant de missionnaires, attentif 



^ Efoge cTAdantOHt p. 280. 



