LINNAEUS AND THE LINNEAN CLASSIFICATION. 57 



attached, and by the possession or absence of which 

 different groups were denned and kept apart. It is to be 

 remembered, however, that though the classification of 

 Linnaeus was in principle an artificial one, it was in 

 practice largely natural that is to say, his groups, though 

 based on artificial distinctions, in many cases really do 

 correspond with natural groups. Moreover, it is to be 

 borne in mind that Linnaeus was perfectly well aware of 

 the artificial nature of his system, and that he was 

 acquainted with the requirements of a natural classifica- 

 tion. He purposely adopted the 'artificial' principle 

 upon the ground that, in the then state of knowledge, such 

 a classification was alone possible, and could alone be 

 used with advantage. To the Linnean classification, 

 therefore, we must assign the merit of being the most 

 simple and the most complete of all the systems of nature 

 which had been published up to the middle of the 

 eighteenth century; and it not only at once superseded 

 all others, but continued to be in general use for half 

 a century or more after the death of its illustrious author. 

 Under these circumstances no apology is needed for 

 giving here the following brief sketch of the Linnean 

 classification. 



In the 'Systema Naturae,'* Linnaeus divided the 

 imperium natura, or the total assemblage of all natural 



* The ' Systema Naturae ' bears the full title, ' Systema Naturae, sive regna tria 

 naturae systematice proposita per classes, ordines, genera et species.' The first 

 edition consisted of only fourteen folio pages, and was published at Leyden in 1735. 

 The twelfth edition, the last which appeared in the lifetime of Linnaeus, was 

 published in three volumes at Stockholm, in 1766-68. The edition which is usually 

 regarded as the authoritative one, is the thirteenth, which was published at Leipsic, 

 in ten volumes, in 1788-93. It was edited by Johann Friedrich Gmelin, who in 

 various ways added to it and amended it. An English translation of this edition, 

 by William Turton, was published in 1802-1806. 



