OP SYSTEMS AND METHODS. 123 



arrangement by naturalists. But, if we consider their 

 real meaning a method should signify an artificial, and 

 a system a natural arrangement of objects. As many 

 systematists, however, have aimed at giving a natural 

 arrangement, though with various success ; and none 

 having a perfect conception of it, it might, perhaps, 

 be as well to call every arrangement whose object is 

 confessedly artificial, a method; and that which aims at 

 the plan of nature, a system." * The objection, how- 

 ever, to this attempt to distinguish systems from me- 

 thods, is this, that arrangements, confessedly artificial, 

 are sometimes much more natural (that is to say, con- 

 taining more natural combinations) than those which 

 are here denominated systems, while we are not without 

 instances of others, professing to aim at the plan of 

 nature, or " arranged according to organisation," which 

 are eminently artificial. Such being the case, the dis- 

 tinction here proposed, however excellent in theory, 

 cannot be applied in practice, and we are thus com- 

 pelled to use the two words as synonymous. 



(176.) The diversity of systems, therefore, may be 

 infinite, because there is no end to the different modes 

 by which we may arrange natural objects, from charac- 

 ters or peculiarities belonging to the objects themselves. 

 Some of these systems will exhibit much more harmo- 

 nious combinations than others. Animals, obviously 

 allied in habits and appearance, will be kept together in 

 one system, while in another they are dissevered, and 

 placed wide apart. Hence has originated the term of 

 natural systems as applied to the former, and artificial 

 systems as given to the latter. Such are the distinctions 

 which most zoologists have made between these two 

 modes of arrangement. Yet a little reflection will con- 

 vince us that they are equally vague with that just no- 

 ticed. An artificial system may be based upon erroneous 

 principles, and may present many unnatural assemblages, 

 yet parts thereof may be very natural ; on the other 

 hand, a natural system, may contain many artificial 



* Int. to Ent. v. 356, 



