THE SYNOPTIC COLLECTION. 



A Synoptic Collection of animals possesses one advan- 

 tage over special collections, since it may illustrate on broad 

 and general lines the principles of a natural classification. 

 Our knowledge of the vast number of genera and species 

 which make up many of the classes of the animal king- 

 dom is not sufficient, as a rule, to enable us to group all 

 the organisms of a given class according to their natural 

 affinities, but in a Synoptic Collection, properly chosen 

 specimens may be so arranged as to place before the stu- 

 dent a more or less satisfactory demonstration of the 

 principles that are based upon the genetic relationships of 

 animals. A natural classification of all the species of the 

 whole animal kingdom is, indeed, the goal of the natural 

 philosopher, but this goal can be reached only through 

 the tireless efforts of generations of devoted truth seekers. 



It is a well known fact that certain animals are simpler 

 in structure than others, and it is also most probable that 

 the simplest forms living to-day are the nearest repre- 

 sentatives of those primitive organisms which gave rise 

 through countless ages and generations to animals of 

 greater and greater complexity. For this reason these 

 simplest forms are often spoken of as primitive or ances- 

 tral forms. Many of them are also called synthetic or 

 generalized forms, since they combine, in essentially sim- 

 ple condition, certain structural characters that are found 

 more developed in their descendants, and because this 



(9) 



