viicws or N.vn KK iontkastki). 7 



ourselves that this tripartite division ol aiiiinal life is very 

 incorrect. We sec i)roniinent about us, it is true, certain 

 animals that seem es[)ecially adaj)tecl to specilic elements — 

 the quadrupeds for the land, the birds for the air, and fishes 

 for the water ; but as soon as we proceed to a more detailed 

 review, and attempt to collocate with them the other animals 

 that live on the earth we comcupon stnniljliiiL^-blocks in 

 every direction and arc soon forced to modily and change 

 our ideas. Without takin<i; into account the hosts of lower 

 animals, naturalists soon reco.<;nized that even the verte- 

 brates could not be combined under the tripartite division. 

 Linnanis gave the name Amphibia to those forms inter- 

 mediate between the land animals and the water animals, 

 including the reptiles and hatrachians — frogs, salamanders, 

 <fec. But it was not till a long time afterwards that even 

 Linnaeus became convinced that this was not going far 

 enough. Only in the later editions of his work published 

 toward the end of his life did he teach that animals must 

 needs be regrouped, and in a manner that would be foreign 

 to popular opinion. He first clearly recognized that whales 

 were not fishes, but essentially agreed with the viviparous 

 hairy quadrupeds, and under the name of Mammalia he 

 first combined the two types in one class. I presume that 

 the major portion of my audience recognize in a sort of 

 way the fact that whales are not fishes, but mammals, or 

 animals, as most people i)lcase to call" them. At the same 

 time there is a fear that many accept the dictum without 

 understanding the why and wherefore they are so consid- 

 ered. It will, therefore, be my task this afternoon to give 

 some of the reasons why the whales are not regarded as 

 fishes, and why they are considered to be mammals. After- 

 wards it will appear that, by parity of reasoning, there will 

 flow a series of deductions, applicable not only to the forms 

 about to be treated of, but also to animated nature generally. 

 I doubt not that if the question "are whales fishes?" 

 were put to jtopular vote, there would be an overwhelming 

 assent to the ancient belief. Indeed the proposition that 

 such is the case has l>cen sanctioned bv that "bulwark ot 



